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Our Heavenly Family

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We Are Children of Our Heavenly Father

Whatdoscripturesandlatter-dayprophetsteachusaboutourrelationshiptoGod?

God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our HeavenlyFather All men and women are literally the sons and daughters oGod Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born o heavenly parents,and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions o the Father, priorto coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body (Teachingsof Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335)

Every person who was ever born on earth is our spirit brother or

sister Because we are the spirit children o God, we have inheritedthe potential to develop His divine qualities Through the Atone-ment o Jesus Christ, we can become like our Heavenly Father andreceive a ulness o joy

HowdoesyourknowledgethatyouareachildofGodinuenceyourthoughts,words,andactions?

We Developed Personalities and Talents While We Lived inHeaven

Thinkabouttalentsandgiftsyouhavebeenblessedwith.

The scriptures teach us that the prophets prepared themselves tobecome leaders on earth while they were still spirits in heaven(see Alma 13:13) Beore they were born into mortal bodies, Godoreordained (chose) them to be leaders on earth Jesus, Adam,

and Abraham were some o these leaders (See Abraham 3:2223)

For teachers: You do not need to teach every thing in each chapter. As you prayerfully pre-pare to teach, seek the Spirit s guidance to know which portions of the chapter you shouldcover and which questions you should ask.

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Joseph Smith taught that every man who has a calling to ministerto the inhabitants o the world was [ore]ordained to that very pur-pose (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007],

511) However, everyone on earth is ree to accept or reject anyopportunity to serve

We were not all alike in heaven We know, or example, that wewere sons and daughters o heavenly parentsmales and emales(see The Family: A Proclamation to the World,Ensign, Nov 1995,102) We possessed dierent talents and abilities, and we werecalled to do dierent things on earth We can learn more about our

eternal possibilities when we receive our patriarchal blessings(see Thomas S Monson, in Conerence Report, Oct 1986, 82; or

Ensign, Nov 1986, 66)

A veil covers our memories o our premortal lie, but our Father inHeaven knows who we are and what we did beore we came hereHe has chosen the time and place or each o us to be born so wecan learn the lessons we personally need and do the most good

with our individual talents and personalitiesHowhaveotherpeoplestalentsblessedyou?Howcanyourtal-entsandgiftsblessothers?

Our Heavenly Father Presented a Plan for Us to BecomeLike Him

HowdoesearthlifehelpprepareustobecomelikeourHeavenly

Father?Our Heavenly Father knew we could not progress beyond a certainpoint unless we let Him or a time He wanted us to develop thegodlike qualities that He has To do this, we needed to leave ourpremortal home to be tested and to gain experience Our spiritsneeded to be clothed with physical bodies We would need to leaveour physical bodies at death and reunite with them in the Resurrec-tion Then we would receive immortal bodies like that o our

For teachers: Class members or family members are more likely to give a thoughtfulanswer to a question if they are given time to ponder their response. For example, afterasking a question, you could say, Please take a minute to think about your response, andthen Ill ask for answers. Then give them time to ponder.

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Heavenly Father I we passed our tests, we would receive theulness o joy that our Heavenly Father has received (See D&C93:3034)

Our Heavenly Father called a Grand Council to present His plan orour progression (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: JosephSmith, 209, 511) We learned that i we ollowed His plan, we wouldbecome like Him We would be resurrected; we would have allpower in heaven and on earth; we would become heavenly parentsand have spirit children just as He does (see D&C 132:1920)

We learned that He would provide an earth or us where we would

prove ourselves (see Abraham 3:2426) A veil would cover ourmemories, and we would orget our heavenly home This would benecessary so we could exercise our agency to choose good or evil

without being infuenced by the memory o living with our HeavenlyFather Thus we could obey Him because o our aith in Him, notbecause o our knowledge or memory o Him He would help usrecognize the truth when we heard it again on earth (see John 18:37)

At the Grand Council we also learned the purpose or our progres-sion: to have a ulness o joy However, we also learned that some

would be deceived, choose other paths, and lose their way Welearned that all o us would have trials in our lives: sickness, disap-pointment, pain, sorrow, and death But we understood that these

would be given to us or our experience and our good (see D&C122:7) I we allowed them to, these trials would puriy us ratherthan deeat us They would teach us to have endurance, patience,and charity (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W.

Kimball[2006], 1516)

At this council we also learned that because o our weakness, all ous except little children would sin (see D&C 29:4647) We learnedthat a Savior would be provided or us so we could overcome oursins and overcome death with resurrection We learned that i weplaced our aith in Him, obeying His word and ollowing His exam-

ple, we would be exalted and become like our Heavenly Father Wewould receive a ulness o joy

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ListsomeofHeavenlyFathersattributes.Howdoestheplanofsalvationhelpusdeveloptheseattributes?

Additional Scriptures

Hebrews12:9(GodistheFatherofourspirits)

Job38:47(premortallifeimplied)

Abraham3:2228(visionofpremortallife)

Jeremiah1:5(visionofpremortallife)

D&C29:3138(visionofpremortallife)

Moses3:47(spiritualandtemporalcreations)

1Corinthians15:44(spiritualandtemporalcreations)

D&C76:2324(begottensonsanddaughters)

D&C132:1126(planforprogression)