Lesson for July 20, 2014

Lesson for July 20, 2014 Today our lesson was given by Megan Miller on Chapters 15 and 17 on “Eternal Marriage” and “Sealing Power and Temple Blessings.” President Smith said there is no ordinance more necessary than eternal marriage. It is the most important because it works the hardest to perfect you. Part of being exalted. It’s the start of everything, the family, an eternal bond between partners. It is a good way to become like Christ. It is one of our jobs to bring spirits into the world. All faithful women will have the opportunity. D&C 131:1-4 says that there are three heavens or degrees and to enter into the highest, we must be married and sealed in the temple. We need someone else to make it to the highest. Some of the blessings include balance. As a child there is comfort and surety being raised in such a family. We get companionship, friendship, a partner raising children. Support and love. Marriage is not just a civil contract—it is in fact, an eternal principle—so much more than how the world views. The world sees it as disposable. If it becomes difficult, people get divorced or the marriage annulled. It is not just two people’s paychecks. A lot of people see it as convenience and a tax benefit. There is no real commitment or effort required. An eternal marriage is something solid in life. It requires sacrifice and a focus on our partners. President Hinckley said that a sacrifice is giving up something good for something better. The knowledge that we have an eternal marriage brings with it more responsibility. The person who lives worthy to marry in the temple commits to that marriage long before that marriage takes place, so an eternal marriage actually starts early in life. In the story of Adam and Eve, there was no second wife created. There was permanence. Some things to do to preserve our marriages is to wear our garments and wear them worthily. Emily Campbell said that her friends are getting divorced and it has upset her own children, so it has had an effect on her family. It is important to always have each other’s back and support each other no matter what. It is important in our own marriage to not compare our marriage with others’ marriage because we only see the good side. It is important to pray together. It is important to realize that in a relationship, we only have control over one person in our marriage. If you want to be like Christ and you try to be like Him, it makes all the difference. It is important to teach children the difference and how to be Christlike. How can we share the message with the world? Not hide that it is hard work and it is a covenant, but that we can be successful. One of the biggest selling point of the Church is eternal families. Even though many people are married until death, they really believe that their marriages will be eternal. The way you draw closer to someone is through service. Family scripture study and companion study is important and so is individual study. You can draw closer to God through having children. Having opportunities to forgive and be forgiven can also draw couples closer together. It’s good to know that someone loves us enough not to write us off. We have to learn how to navigate our relationship with our spouse just as we have to learn to navigate our relationship with God. Those who do not marry in this life and who live worthy of the temple covenants will reap the blessings of the temple covenants. The best explanation Charlene Farnworth heard a temple sealer saying that covenants must be kept in order for the sealing to take place. By keeping an eternal perspective, we know that this life is a temporary situation that is not fair and we know that in the eternities all will be made fair, even though we can’t figure it out now. Knowing that we belong to something bigger than we are will give us comfort. One way to understand the bigger picture is to do family history and temple ordinances for our ancestors so we can see that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. We can share doing indexing and family history with our children. Our testimony of the Savior will be deepened and we will be safeguarded, according to Elder Bednar.