Celestial Marriage, Divorce

We learned a lot about Celestial Marriage this last week in class!  I personally have been sealed to my spouse in the Temple, and this class has taught me so much more than I could have ever thought to learn on my own. One of the biggest topics that I really needed to be reminded of, was that once you've received all of the saving ordinances we aren't finished.  We need to endure to the end, do temple work for our ancestors and at the same time renew our covenants with our Heavenly Father.  This life is not about careers and who knows us, it's about the choices we make and how we choose to live.  I am so grateful for my husband who is worthy to take me to the tempe.  I need to be better at going as often and we are told, that is one of my goals that I've set through taking this class.  If you are looking for a guide to talk you your youth about the importance of temple marriage, here is a great article that would be great for you!

I took down some quotes that stuck out to me the most from this weeks reading, I hope you enjoy them, and if you want to learn more about the articles, or about the LDS church in general, I will leave links.

The Power of Covenants Elder Christofferson

"We enter into covenants by priesthood ordinances, sacred rituals that God has ordained for us to manifest our commitment. Our foundational covenant, for example, the one in which we first pledge our willingness to take upon us the name of Christ, is confirmed by the ordinance of baptism. It is done individually, by name. By this ordinance, we become part of the covenant people of the Lord and heirs of the celestial kingdom of God."

What is the source of such moral and spiritual power, and how do we obtain it? The source is God. Our access to that power is through our covenants with Him. A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God (see Bible Dictionary, “Covenant,” 651). In these divine agreements, God binds Himself to sustain, sanctify, and exalt us in return for our commitment to serve Him and keep His commandments.

Covenants and Ordinances Elder Packer from 

“Covenants” General Conference April 1987 “Ordinances” BYU Speeches, 3 February 1980 

"Among the ordinances we perform in the Church are baptism, administering the sacrament, naming and blessing of infants, administering to the sick, setting apart to callings in the Church, and ordaining to offices in the priesthood. And then there are the higher ordinances, performed in the temples. These include the endowment and the sealing ordinance, spoken of generally as temple marriage."

"The word ordinance comes from the word order, which means, again, “a rank, a row, a series.”

Order, Ordain, Ordinance!

Order--To put in ranks or rows, in proper sequence or relationship.
Ordain--The process of putting things in rows or proper relationship.

Ordinance--The ceremony by which things are put in proper order.

"Now let me apply this illustration to the ordinances of the gospel.

There are no discounts. No credit buying. Nothing is ever put on sale at special, reduced prices. There is never something for nothing. There is no such thing as a “bargain.” You pay full value. Requirements and covenants are involved. And you will get, in due time, full value. But you must, positively must, deal with an authorized agent, or your claims will not be honored."

"In the Church we hold sufficient authority to perform all of the ordinances necessary to redeem and to exalt the whole human family. And because we have the keys to the sealing power, what we bind in proper order here will be bound in heaven. Those keys--the keys to seal and bind on earth and have it bound in heaven--represent the consummate gift from our God. With that authority we can baptize and bless and endow and seal, and the Lord will honor the commitments."

We also learned about Divorce, which is a sensitive subject to many, but we were enlightened by a few talks on the subject.

Divorce Elder Oaks

The kind of marriage required for exaltation—eternal in duration and godlike in quality—does not contemplate divorce. In the temples of the Lord, couples are married for all eternity. But some marriages do not progress toward that ideal. Because “of the hardness of [our] hearts,” the Lord does not currently enforce the consequences of the celestial standard. He permits divorced persons to marry again without the stain of immorality specified in the higher law. Unless a divorced member has committed serious transgressions, he or she can become eligible for a temple recommend under the same worthiness standards that apply to other members.

We know that some look back on their divorces with regret at their own partial or predominant fault in the breakup. All who have been through divorce know the pain and need the healing power and hope that come from the Atonement. That healing power and that hope are there for them and also for their children.

Think first of the children. Because divorce separates the interests of children from the interests of their parents, children are its first victims. Scholars of family life tell us that the most important cause of the current decline in the well-being of children is the current weakening of marriage, because family instability decreases parental investment in children.4 We know that children raised in a single-parent home after divorce have a much higher risk for drug and alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, poor school performance, and various kinds of victimization.

Under the law of the Lord, a marriage, like a human life, is a precious, living thing. If our bodies are sick, we seek to heal them. We do not give up.

 In a marriage relationship, festering is destructive; forgiving is divine

Personal circumstances vary greatly. We cannot control and we are not responsible for the choices of others, even when they impact us so painfully. I am sure the Lord loves and blesses husbands and wives who lovingly try to help spouses struggling with such deep problems as pornography or other addictive behavior or with the long- term consequences of childhood abuse.

If you wish to marry well, inquire well.

Receiving the Temple Blessings Richard Scott

"Personal worthiness is an essential requirement to enjoy the blessings of the temple. Anyone foolish enough to enter the temple unworthily will receive condemnation."

 "An essential priority of a prospective wife is the desire to be a wife and mother. She should be developing the sacred qualities that God has given His daughters to excel as a wife and mother: patience, kindliness, a love of children, and a desire to care for them rather than seeking professional pursuits. She should be acquiring a good education to prepare for the demands of motherhood. A prospective husband should also honor his priesthood and use it in service to others. Seek a man who accepts his role as provider of the necessities of life, has the capacity to do it, and is making concerted efforts to prepare himself to fulfill those responsibilities."

 "The endowment and sealing ordinances of the temple are so gloriously rich in meaning that you will want to allow significant time to receive those ordinances and to ponder their meaning."

 "Go to the temple. You know it is the right thing to do. Do it now."

 "The Lord knows the intent of your heart. His prophets have stated that you will have that blessing as you consistently live to qualify for it. We do not know whether it will be on this or the other side of the veil. But live for it. Pray for it. (celestial marriage)"