Sunday, October 2, 2011
Making Our Calling and Election Sure
This is a conference talk given by Apostle Marion G. Romney in October 1965. Every member of the Church should read and reread this talk until its contents are written in his/her heart. Your testimony of the Gospel is not complete until you can believe what is written here, as spoken by an Apostle of the Lord in General Conference.
Making Our Calling and Election Sure
Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, October 1965, 20-23l
"Brethren and sisters: I stand before you today in deep humility. The words I intend to speak will have little meaning unless they are impressed upon our souls by the power of the Holy Spirit. I sincerely invite you to join with me in praying that they will be so impressed.
"The theme I have in mind to discuss is "Making One's Calling and Election Sure." To do this one must receive a divine witness that he will inherit eternal life. The supreme objective of men who understand God, their relationship to him, and his designs for them is to gain eternal life. This is as it should be, for eternal life "... is the greatest of all the gifts of God." (D&C 14:7.) To bring men to eternal life is God's "work and glory." To this end he conceives, brings into being, directs, and uses all his creations. (Moses 1:38-39.)
"Eternal life is the quality of life which God himself enjoys. The gospel plan, authored by the Father and put into operation by the atonement of Jesus Christ, brings eternal life within the reach of every man. The Lord gave this assurance when he said "... if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life...." (D&C 14:7.)
"The fulness of eternal life is not attainable in mortality, but the peace which is its harbinger and which comes as a result of making one's calling and election sure is attainable in this life. The Lord has promised that "... he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come." (D&C 59:23.)
"I think the peace here referred to is implicit in the Prophet's statement: "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men." (HC 6:555.)
"I also think it is implicit in this statement of the late Apostle Alonzo A. Hinckley which he wrote in a letter to the First Presidency after he had been advised by his physician that his illness would be fatal: 'I assure you I am not deeply disturbed over the final results. I am reconciled and I reach my hands to take what my Father has for me, be it life or death...
"'As to the future, I have no misgivings. It is inviting and glorious, and I sense rather clearly what it means to be saved by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ and to be exalted by his power and be with him ever more.' (The Deseret News Church Section, March 27, 1949, 24.)
"Now I come directly to my theme:
"I take my text from Second Peter, and as he did, I direct my remarks "... to them that have obtained like precious faith with us...." (2 Pet 1:1.)
"Peter, after having put the Saints in remembrance of gospel fundamentals, admonished them to "... give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" (2 Pet 1:10.)
"By making their calling and election sure, the Saints were to gain entrance "... into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." To this fact Peter bore powerful witness. He reviewed his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration with James and John, where he says, they heard the voice of "... God the Father ..." declare of Jesus, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Then by way of instruction that such an experience did not of itself make one's calling and election sure, he added, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy;..." (2 Pet 1:11, 17, 19.)
"Speaking on Sunday, the 14th of May, 1843, the Prophet Joseph Smith took this statement of Peter for his text. From the Prophet's sermon I quote:
"'Notwithstanding the apostle exhorts them to add to their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, etc., yet he exhorts them to make their calling and election sure. And though they had heard an audible voice from heaven bearing testimony that Jesus was the Son of God, yet he says we have a more sure word of prophecy.... Now wherein could they have a more sure word of prophecy than to hear the voice of God saying, This is my beloved Son, etc." Answering his own question, the Prophet continued, "Though they might hear the voice of God and know that Jesus was the Son of God, this would be no evidence that their election and calling was made sure, that they had part with Christ, and were joint heirs with Him. They then would want that more sure word of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God. Then, having this promise sealed unto them, it was an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast. Though the thunders might roll and lightnings flash, and earthquakes bellow, and war gather thick around, yet this hope and knowledge would support the soul in every hour of trial, trouble and tribulation.'
"Then speaking directly to his listeners, the Prophet continued:
"'... I would exhort you to go on and continue to call upon God until you make your calling and election sure for yourselves, by obtaining this more sure word of prophecy,...' (HC 5:388 389.)
"A week later, May 21, 1843, the Prophet preached another sermon on the same text, from which I quote:
"'We have no claim in our eternal compact, in relation to eternal things, unless our actions and contracts and all things tend to this end. But after all this, you have got to make your calling and election sure. If this injunction would lie largely on those to whom it was spoken," he said, "how much more those of the present generation!" And then in conclusion, "It is one thing to be on the mount and hear the excellent voice, etc., and another to hear the voice declare to you, You have a part and lot in that kingdom.' (HC 5:403.)
"These two sermons were given by the Prophet just thirteen months before his martyrdom. Four years earlier, however, he had thus instructed the Twelve: 'After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter ...' (HC 3:380.)
"In the 88th section of the Doctrine and Covenants is recorded a revelation in which the Lord, addressing some of the early Saints in Ohio, said: '... I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.
"'This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom;' (D&C 88:3-4.)
"I should think that every faithful Latter-day Saint '... would want that more sure word of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God.' (HC 5:388.)
"As I read the sacred records, I find recorded experiences of men in all dispensations who have had this sure anchor to their souls, this peace in their hearts.
"Lehi's grandson Enos so hungered after righteousness that he cried unto the Lord until '... there came a voice unto [him from heaven] saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.' Years later he revealed the nature of this promised blessing when he wrote:
"'... I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.' (Enos 1:5, 27.)
"To Alma the Lord said: 'Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life;...' (Mosiah 26:20.)
"To his twelve Nephite disciples the Master said: 'What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?
"'And they all spake, save it were three, saying: We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom.
"'And he said unto them: Blessed are ye because ye desired this thing of me; therefore, after that ye are seventy and two years old ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with me ye shall find rest.' (3 Ne 28:1-3.)
"As Moroni labored in solitude, abridging the Jaredite record, he received from the Lord this comforting assurance: '... thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.' (Eth 12:37.)
"Paul in his second epistle to Timothy wrote: '... I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
"'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:...' (2 Tim 4:6 8.)
"In this dispensation many have received like assurances. In the spring of 1839, while the Prophet Joseph and his associates were languishing in Liberty Jail, Heber C. Kimball labored against great odds caring for the Saints and striving to free the brethren. On the 6th of April he wrote:
"'My family having been gone about two months, during which time I heard nothing from them; our brethren being in prison; death and destruction following us everywhere we went; I felt very sorrowful and lonely. The following words came to my mind, and the spirit said unto me, 'write,' which I did by taking a piece of paper and writing on my knee as follows:...'
This is what he wrote as dictated by the Lord:
"'Verily I say unto my servant Heber, thou art my son, in whom I am well pleased; for thou art careful to hearken to my words, and not transgress my law, nor rebel against my servant Joseph Smith, for thou hast a respect to the words of mine anointed, even from the least to the greatest of them; therefore thy name is written in heaven, no more to be blotted out for ever....' (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 1888 ed., p. 253. Italics added.)
"To the Prophet Joseph Smith the Lord said: '... I am the Lord thy God and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father.' (D&C 132:49. Italics added.)
"Now in conclusion, I give you my own witness. I know that God our Father lives, that we are, as Paul said, his offspring. I know that we dwelt in his presence in pre-earth life and that we shall continue to live beyond the grave. I know that we may return into his presence, if we meet his terms. I know that while we are here in mortality there is a means of communication between him and us. I know it is possible for men to so live that they may hear his voice and know his words and that to receive 'the Holy Spirit of promise' while here in mortality is possible. And so, in the words of the Prophet Joseph, '... I ... exhort you to go on and continue to call upon God until (by the more sure word of prophecy) you make your calling and election sure for yourselves,...' (HC 5:389.) In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Apostle Orson F. Whitney’s Witness of the Savior
This is an excerpt from an address delivered at the Sunday evening session of the MIA Jubilee Conference held on 7 June 1925.
"May I add my mite to the mass of evidence upon this all-important theme? Fifty years ago, or something less, I was a young missionary in the state of Pennsylvania. I had been praying for a testimony of the truth but beyond that had not displayed much zeal in missionary labor. My companion, a veteran in the cause, chided me for my lack of diligence in this direction. “You ought to be studying the books of the Church,” said he; “you were sent out to preach the gospel, not to write for the newspapers”—for that was what I was doing at the time.
"I knew he was right, but I still kept on, fascinated by the discovery that I could wield a pen and preferring that to any other occupation except the [theater], my early ambition, which I had laid upon the altar when, as a youth of 21, I accepted a call to the mission field.
"One night I dreamed—if dream it may be called—that I was in the Garden of Gethsemane, a witness of the Savior’s agony. I saw Him as plainly as I see this congregation. I stood behind a tree in the foreground, where I could see without being seen. Jesus, with Peter, James, and John, came through a little wicket gate at my right. Leaving the three Apostles there, after telling them to kneel and pray, He passed over to the other side, where He also knelt and prayed. It was the same prayer with which we are all familiar: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” ([see] Matthew 26:36–44 [Matt. 26:36–44]; Mark 14:32–41; Luke 22:42).
"As He prayed the tears streamed down His face, which was toward me. I was so moved at the sight that I wept also, out of pure sympathy with His great sorrow. My whole heart went out to Him. I loved Him with all my soul and longed to be with Him as I longed for nothing else.
"Presently He arose and walked to where the Apostles were kneeling—fast asleep! He shook them gently, awoke them, and in a tone of tender reproach, untinctured by the least suggestion of anger or scolding, asked them if they could not watch with Him one hour. There He was, with the weight of the world’s sin upon His shoulders, with the pangs of every man, woman, and child shooting through His sensitive soul—and they could not watch with Him one poor hour!
"Returning to His place, He prayed again and then went back and found them again sleeping. Again He awoke them, admonished them, and returned and prayed as before. Three times this happened, until I was perfectly familiar with His appearance—face, form, and movements. He was of noble stature and of majestic mien—not at all the weak, effeminate being that some painters have portrayed—a very God among men, yet as meek and lowly as a little child.
"All at once the circumstance seemed to change, the scene remaining just the same. Instead of before, it was after the Crucifixion, and the Savior, with those three Apostles, now stood together in a group at my left. They were about to depart and ascend into heaven. I could endure it no longer. I ran out from behind the tree, fell at His feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with Him.
"I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped and raised me up and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real, that I felt the very warmth of His bosom against which I rested. Then He said: “No, my son; these have finished their work, and they may go with me, but you must stay and finish yours.” Still I clung to Him. Gazing up into His face—for He was taller than I—I besought Him most earnestly: “Well, promise me that I will come to You at the last.” He smiled sweetly and tenderly and replied: “That will depend entirely upon yourself.” I awoke with a sob in my throat, and it was morning.
“That’s from God,” said my companion (Elder A. M. Musser), when I had related it to him. “I don’t need to be told that,” was my reply. I saw the moral clearly. I had never thought that I would be an Apostle or hold any other office in the Church; and it did not occur to me even then. Yet I knew that those sleeping Apostles meant me. I was asleep at my post—as any man is, or any woman, who, having been divinely appointed to do one thing, does another.
"But from that hour all was changed—I was a different man. I did not give up writing, for President Brigham Young [1801–77], having noticed some of my contributions in the home papers, wrote advising me to cultivate what he called my “gift for writing” so that I might use it in future years “for the establishment of truth and righteousness upon the earth.” This was his last word of counsel to me. He died the same year, while I was still in the mission field, though laboring then in the state of Ohio. I continued to write, but it was for the Church and kingdom of God. I held that first and foremost; all else was secondary.
"Then came the divine illumination, which is greater than all dreams, visions, and other manifestations combined. By the light of God’s candle—the gift of the Holy Ghost—I saw what till then I had never seen, I learned what till then I had never known, I loved the Lord as I had never loved Him before. My soul was satisfied, my joy was full, for I had a testimony of the truth, and it has remained with me to this day.
"I know that my Redeemer liveth. Not even Job knew it better. I have evidence that I cannot doubt; and this is why I am found among those who tonight unfurl the slogan for which we stand, possessing and proclaiming an individual testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ."
"May I add my mite to the mass of evidence upon this all-important theme? Fifty years ago, or something less, I was a young missionary in the state of Pennsylvania. I had been praying for a testimony of the truth but beyond that had not displayed much zeal in missionary labor. My companion, a veteran in the cause, chided me for my lack of diligence in this direction. “You ought to be studying the books of the Church,” said he; “you were sent out to preach the gospel, not to write for the newspapers”—for that was what I was doing at the time.
"I knew he was right, but I still kept on, fascinated by the discovery that I could wield a pen and preferring that to any other occupation except the [theater], my early ambition, which I had laid upon the altar when, as a youth of 21, I accepted a call to the mission field.
"One night I dreamed—if dream it may be called—that I was in the Garden of Gethsemane, a witness of the Savior’s agony. I saw Him as plainly as I see this congregation. I stood behind a tree in the foreground, where I could see without being seen. Jesus, with Peter, James, and John, came through a little wicket gate at my right. Leaving the three Apostles there, after telling them to kneel and pray, He passed over to the other side, where He also knelt and prayed. It was the same prayer with which we are all familiar: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” ([see] Matthew 26:36–44 [Matt. 26:36–44]; Mark 14:32–41; Luke 22:42).
"As He prayed the tears streamed down His face, which was toward me. I was so moved at the sight that I wept also, out of pure sympathy with His great sorrow. My whole heart went out to Him. I loved Him with all my soul and longed to be with Him as I longed for nothing else.
"Presently He arose and walked to where the Apostles were kneeling—fast asleep! He shook them gently, awoke them, and in a tone of tender reproach, untinctured by the least suggestion of anger or scolding, asked them if they could not watch with Him one hour. There He was, with the weight of the world’s sin upon His shoulders, with the pangs of every man, woman, and child shooting through His sensitive soul—and they could not watch with Him one poor hour!
"Returning to His place, He prayed again and then went back and found them again sleeping. Again He awoke them, admonished them, and returned and prayed as before. Three times this happened, until I was perfectly familiar with His appearance—face, form, and movements. He was of noble stature and of majestic mien—not at all the weak, effeminate being that some painters have portrayed—a very God among men, yet as meek and lowly as a little child.
"All at once the circumstance seemed to change, the scene remaining just the same. Instead of before, it was after the Crucifixion, and the Savior, with those three Apostles, now stood together in a group at my left. They were about to depart and ascend into heaven. I could endure it no longer. I ran out from behind the tree, fell at His feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with Him.
"I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped and raised me up and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real, that I felt the very warmth of His bosom against which I rested. Then He said: “No, my son; these have finished their work, and they may go with me, but you must stay and finish yours.” Still I clung to Him. Gazing up into His face—for He was taller than I—I besought Him most earnestly: “Well, promise me that I will come to You at the last.” He smiled sweetly and tenderly and replied: “That will depend entirely upon yourself.” I awoke with a sob in my throat, and it was morning.
“That’s from God,” said my companion (Elder A. M. Musser), when I had related it to him. “I don’t need to be told that,” was my reply. I saw the moral clearly. I had never thought that I would be an Apostle or hold any other office in the Church; and it did not occur to me even then. Yet I knew that those sleeping Apostles meant me. I was asleep at my post—as any man is, or any woman, who, having been divinely appointed to do one thing, does another.
"But from that hour all was changed—I was a different man. I did not give up writing, for President Brigham Young [1801–77], having noticed some of my contributions in the home papers, wrote advising me to cultivate what he called my “gift for writing” so that I might use it in future years “for the establishment of truth and righteousness upon the earth.” This was his last word of counsel to me. He died the same year, while I was still in the mission field, though laboring then in the state of Ohio. I continued to write, but it was for the Church and kingdom of God. I held that first and foremost; all else was secondary.
"Then came the divine illumination, which is greater than all dreams, visions, and other manifestations combined. By the light of God’s candle—the gift of the Holy Ghost—I saw what till then I had never seen, I learned what till then I had never known, I loved the Lord as I had never loved Him before. My soul was satisfied, my joy was full, for I had a testimony of the truth, and it has remained with me to this day.
"I know that my Redeemer liveth. Not even Job knew it better. I have evidence that I cannot doubt; and this is why I am found among those who tonight unfurl the slogan for which we stand, possessing and proclaiming an individual testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ."
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The Pre-existence
I’m thinking that there was probably a lot more to the pre-existence than the basics we usually teach concerning it. I’m not sure we appreciate how important the pre-existence was in the plan, and its place in our progression and this earth life.
We all know the basics about the pre-existence - we were spirit children there; a plan for our progression was presented; we were taught the reasons for the plan and what would be involved. And we know basically how people reacted to the plan: Most accepted it but some rejected it, went to battle and were cast out. The general perception is that a third rejected the plan and the rest of us accepted it more or less unequivocally.
What is not generally understood, though, is that this is quite a simplified version of what actually happened. The reality is that among those who were not cast out there were many varying degrees of acceptance of the plan. There were many, for example, who accepted the plan but weren’t convinced it would work. Others accepted the plan but were afraid that they would fail in it; still others simply went along with the crowd and accepted it because their associates did.
Some of our brothers and sisters didn’t care for the plan at all, but weren’t excited about Lucifer’s plan either, so they really didn’t actively take sides.
And then, of course, there were some who loved Lucifer’s plan and hated the Father’s plan, who actively advocated for Lucifer’s plan. But when it came to a pitched battle they, at the last minute, decided not to risk outer darkness and stayed out of the battle. These were a few who really should have gone with Lucifer but didn’t, and so technically kept their first estate and thus qualified to have a second estate.
I’m convinced that some of these who should have gone with Lucifer have become the dictators and despots of the world.
All of this is but a precursor to what I really want to talk about. I want to talk about you. You as a Latter-day Saint, and the 14 million just like you, and all who have had the Gospel before you, and those who will have it in the future, including those whom our missionaries are seeking in the world - You are special.
You are special in that you did much more in the pre-existence than simply accept the Gospel. You accepted it wholeheartedly. You loved the plan. You loved the central figure in the plan, Jehovah. You loved the presenter of the plan, our Father.
You loved it so much that you became an active advocate for it. You reached out to those who weren’t sure. You taught, you encouraged, you brought people to it - in short, you were Missionaries for the plan, and allies of the Lord, and did everything in your power to make the plan successful. You were valiant in the plan, and accomplished much good and helped the Father in all the ways you could.
Now I come to what I really want to talk about. This doctrine is not generally understood, and I am going to declare it to you because it is so important to understand.
Because of your valiance, you qualified in the pre-existence for some wonderful blessings that most Spirits didn’t qualify for. In fact, you qualified for the greatest gift that God could give you - Eternal Life. Your valiancy was so great that the Lord promised you, before you even came here, that you would inherit exaltation. Abraham saw you, that you were noble and great, and that you and your eternal companion would become rulers in the eternities. And thus you were declared by God Himself to be sealed up unto eternal life before you ever even entered mortality. Now, it's important to note that this sealing was conditioned upon your faithfulness in mortality, but it was a true sealing and qualified you to receive certain blessings in mortality, which we will discuss in a moment.
So you were, unlike most of your fellows, given the greatest blessings the Lord has to offer, having proved yourselves so completely in the pre-existence. Now, in our LDS parlance, this is known as having been ‘called’. Let me state it again, in our parlance: everyone in this Church, or who has had the Gospel at any time in the history of the world, was ‘called’ before they came to this earth, having qualified for it under very special circumstances in the pre-existence.
I remind you that many did not qualify for these blessings. You did.
Now, there was another great and marvelous gift given to you. You were to be placed in a situation where you could either find the Gospel, or you would be born right into it, thereby ensuring that the knowledge of how to be exalted would be available to you. And you would have access to the Priesthood, which contains the keys of making exaltation possible. In short, you were given the great blessing of having achieving exaltation made as easy as it could possibly be made. You were sealed up unto eternal life, conditionally, before you came here, and you would have or would be able to find all the tools necessary to make it a final reality.
Now, what all this means is that you received the marvelous blessing of entering the great marathon of life at the 23 or 24 mile mark, with only 2 or 3 miles left to finish the race. Many miles ahead of most others who enter mortality. All of this was made possible for you because of what you accomplished in the pre-existence. Don't ever forget who you were - you were choice and noble and great in the eyes of the Lord, even if you think otherwise about yourself. The mere fact that you are a Latter-day Saint, or have the opportunity to become one, is evidence. That great blessing had to be earned, and you certainly did. Now, you Called, take your great blessing and move forward toward the greatest of all blessings, that of Election.
We all know the basics about the pre-existence - we were spirit children there; a plan for our progression was presented; we were taught the reasons for the plan and what would be involved. And we know basically how people reacted to the plan: Most accepted it but some rejected it, went to battle and were cast out. The general perception is that a third rejected the plan and the rest of us accepted it more or less unequivocally.
What is not generally understood, though, is that this is quite a simplified version of what actually happened. The reality is that among those who were not cast out there were many varying degrees of acceptance of the plan. There were many, for example, who accepted the plan but weren’t convinced it would work. Others accepted the plan but were afraid that they would fail in it; still others simply went along with the crowd and accepted it because their associates did.
Some of our brothers and sisters didn’t care for the plan at all, but weren’t excited about Lucifer’s plan either, so they really didn’t actively take sides.
And then, of course, there were some who loved Lucifer’s plan and hated the Father’s plan, who actively advocated for Lucifer’s plan. But when it came to a pitched battle they, at the last minute, decided not to risk outer darkness and stayed out of the battle. These were a few who really should have gone with Lucifer but didn’t, and so technically kept their first estate and thus qualified to have a second estate.
I’m convinced that some of these who should have gone with Lucifer have become the dictators and despots of the world.
All of this is but a precursor to what I really want to talk about. I want to talk about you. You as a Latter-day Saint, and the 14 million just like you, and all who have had the Gospel before you, and those who will have it in the future, including those whom our missionaries are seeking in the world - You are special.
You are special in that you did much more in the pre-existence than simply accept the Gospel. You accepted it wholeheartedly. You loved the plan. You loved the central figure in the plan, Jehovah. You loved the presenter of the plan, our Father.
You loved it so much that you became an active advocate for it. You reached out to those who weren’t sure. You taught, you encouraged, you brought people to it - in short, you were Missionaries for the plan, and allies of the Lord, and did everything in your power to make the plan successful. You were valiant in the plan, and accomplished much good and helped the Father in all the ways you could.
Now I come to what I really want to talk about. This doctrine is not generally understood, and I am going to declare it to you because it is so important to understand.
Because of your valiance, you qualified in the pre-existence for some wonderful blessings that most Spirits didn’t qualify for. In fact, you qualified for the greatest gift that God could give you - Eternal Life. Your valiancy was so great that the Lord promised you, before you even came here, that you would inherit exaltation. Abraham saw you, that you were noble and great, and that you and your eternal companion would become rulers in the eternities. And thus you were declared by God Himself to be sealed up unto eternal life before you ever even entered mortality. Now, it's important to note that this sealing was conditioned upon your faithfulness in mortality, but it was a true sealing and qualified you to receive certain blessings in mortality, which we will discuss in a moment.
So you were, unlike most of your fellows, given the greatest blessings the Lord has to offer, having proved yourselves so completely in the pre-existence. Now, in our LDS parlance, this is known as having been ‘called’. Let me state it again, in our parlance: everyone in this Church, or who has had the Gospel at any time in the history of the world, was ‘called’ before they came to this earth, having qualified for it under very special circumstances in the pre-existence.
I remind you that many did not qualify for these blessings. You did.
Now, there was another great and marvelous gift given to you. You were to be placed in a situation where you could either find the Gospel, or you would be born right into it, thereby ensuring that the knowledge of how to be exalted would be available to you. And you would have access to the Priesthood, which contains the keys of making exaltation possible. In short, you were given the great blessing of having achieving exaltation made as easy as it could possibly be made. You were sealed up unto eternal life, conditionally, before you came here, and you would have or would be able to find all the tools necessary to make it a final reality.
Now, what all this means is that you received the marvelous blessing of entering the great marathon of life at the 23 or 24 mile mark, with only 2 or 3 miles left to finish the race. Many miles ahead of most others who enter mortality. All of this was made possible for you because of what you accomplished in the pre-existence. Don't ever forget who you were - you were choice and noble and great in the eyes of the Lord, even if you think otherwise about yourself. The mere fact that you are a Latter-day Saint, or have the opportunity to become one, is evidence. That great blessing had to be earned, and you certainly did. Now, you Called, take your great blessing and move forward toward the greatest of all blessings, that of Election.
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