Lesson Notes

Today we discussed "Our Heavenly Family". God is not only our creator; He is our Heavenly Father. All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of heavenly parents. We lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to earth. There He taught us about His plan for us and prepared us for our life here on earth.

In pre-earth life we all had certain talents and abilities that we brought with us when we came here to earth. Our challenge here is to learn how to use these God-given gifts to help us find a way back to Him.

We could not progress beyond a certain point unless we left the presence of our Father and came to earth to get a body and be tried and tested.

A veil covers our memories of our premortal life. This is necessary so we can exercise our agency to choose good or evil without being influenced by the memory of living with our Heavenly Father. Thus we can obey Him because of our faith in Him, not because of our knowledge or memory of Him. If we had a knowledge of God and could remember all He taught us then this life wouldn't be a test. We must prove ourselves worthy to be in His presence by passing through the trials and tests of this life by relying on His guidance and counsel.

If we place our faith in Him, obey His word and follow His example, we can be exalted and become like our Heavenly Father. We can receive a fulness of joy.

Next Week's Lesson: Gospel Principles Lesson 3 "Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior"