Talk - Families Under the Covenant

Families under Covenant

By President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency

1. Introduction

I was given the assignment to talk on PE's 2012 talk called Families under Covenant.

Story that the children would understand.

- married 32 years.  We were sealed for time and all eternity in the Jordan River Temple on Dec. 27 1982
- All our children were born under the covenant.
- have gone through the vissistudes of life.
- We have been poor and well to do.
- We have had health problems and have experienced good health
- We have grieved over children and have had great joy in our children
- And through all the good times and not so good times we have kept the faith did our best to be a family under covenant.
AND I believe if we have done the best we could, the Lord covers the rest.

2. Learner Readiness

PE spent much of his talk on explaining what the sealing power is and how it works in our lives.  I'll start with reading a few passages on the sealing power.  PE said the following

We are blessed to be presided over by President Thomas S. Monson. As the President of the Church, he is the one man alive who is responsible for the keys that seal families and all those priesthood ordinances necessary to attain eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God.

SAY: It feels wonderful to me to belong to this church.  Having a prophet who holds the keys to seal families so we can receive eternal life.

SAY: PE Eyring's quotes DC 131:2

And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.

SAY: This is a seminal teaching of our church.  We can be  happy with our families forever.  And it all comes through this Sealing Power which we have today in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Listen to this passage:

It is the same divine authorization given by the Lord to Peter, as He had promised: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

I found this statement on Elijah restoring the sealing power particularly interesting:

The return of Elijah blessed all who hold the priesthood. Elder Harold B. Lee made that clear as he spoke in general conference, quoting President Joseph Fielding Smith. Listen carefully: “I hold the priesthood; you brethren here hold the priesthood; we have received the Melchizedek Priesthood—which was held by Elijah and by other prophets and by Peter, James and John. But while we have authority to baptize, while we have authority to lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost and to ordain others and do all these things, without the sealing power we could do nothing, for there would be no validity to that which we did.”

SAY - Everything is made valid because of the Sealing Power.  Why?  It is what binds in heaven what we do on earth.  All the ordinances we do receive validity because this sealing power.

SAY - President Eyring goes on telling us that The Holy Spirit of Promise, through our obedience and sacrifice, must seal our temple covenants in order to be realized in the world to come.

Learner Application (quote, scripture, story, testify)

SAY - I am now going move down to the end of PE's talk where he suggests four things  priesthood holders can do to lift and lead our family home again to be with Heavenly Father and the Savior. All the suggestions apply to both men and women.

He first says that each of needs gain and keep a sure witness that the keys of the priesthood are with us and held by the President of the Church.  PE says to pray for that every day and the answer will come.

Experience: I remember back when I was younger and President Benson was the prophet.  While he was speaking General Conference a feeling of peace came over me that this man was truly the prophet of God.  I have similar witnesses from the Spirit when listened to President Monson.  I know these men are men of God.  I know they have the sealing power.

SAY: Number 2 - Guess what President Eyring calls the Second Imperative?  LOVE YOUR WIFE.  I quote: LISTEN CAREFULLY

"It will take faith and humility to put her interests above your own in the struggles of life. You have the responsibility to provide for and to nurture the family with her while serving others. That can at times consume all the energy and strength you have. Age and illness may increase your wife’s needs. If you choose even then to put her happiness above your own, I promise you that your love for her will increase."

Experience: I believe this to be true.  I have been truly blessed when I have placed my wife first in my life.  Could I tell very personal story?  About five years ago I was praying one morning asking Heavenly Father what would be the most important thing that I should be doing?  I waited bracing myself for some really hard thing.  Nothing happened. I went to take a shower.  While in the shower a still, small voice came to my mind very distinctly and whispered, "Serve your wife".  I was surprised and quickly re- prioritized my life.  That very day I hung all the pictures and a mirror that I had been avoiding.

SAY - the third thing President Eyring said was to  enlist the entire family to love each other. President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “In an eternal sense, salvation is a family affair. …“Above all else, children need to know and feel they are loved, wanted, and appreciated. They need to be assured of that often.

SAY: I remember a quote from Elder Bednar that we have tried to implement in our family:

Brethren and sisters, when was the last time you took your eternal companion in your arms and said, “I love you”? Parents, when was the last time you sincerely expressed love to your children? Children, when was the last time you told your parents that you love them?
Each of us already knows we should tell the people we love that we love them. But what we know is not always reflected in what we do. We may feel unsure, awkward, or even perhaps a bit embarrassed.

Experience: It started out a little embarrassing but now all my adult children are saying I love you, or Love you.  We say 'I love you when we say good bye to each either in person or on the phone.

Along with this we have been practicing loving kindness when we speak with each other.  I believe we doing better than we ever in helping each other feel loved in our family.

PE said Consistent care of brothers and sisters for each other will come only with persistent effort by parents and the help of God. I see this happening more and more in my family.  It make me happy.

He then says this

"Give children opportunities to pray, when they can pray, for each other in the circle who need blessings. Discern quickly the beginnings of discord and recognize acts of unselfish service, especially to each other. When they pray for each other and serve each other, hearts will be softened and turned to each other and to their parents."

Experience:  "Discern  Quickly"  - Recently one of my sons and I were talking.  Things began to escalate.  I didn't like his tone.  I got defensive.  He got defensive.  All of a sudden I realized what was happening.  I stopped.  I looked at my son and asked him if we could just rewind the last few moments and start over.  He looked at me and said sure.  Both of our hearts were softened.  

The fourth opportunity to lead your family in the Lord’s way comes when discipline is needed. We can meet our obligation to correct in the Lord’s way and then lead our children toward eternal life.

SAY: But, more than the disciplining of the children, President Eyring meant disciplining ourselves. He says this:

You will remember the words, but you may not have seen their power for a Melchizedek Priesthood holder preparing his family for living in the same sociality that they will have in the celestial kingdom. You remember the words. They are so familiar:

SAY: Many of us as we grew may not have seen the power of a Melchizedek Priesthood holder preparing his family to live like we will live together in the celestial kingdom.

SAY: What qualites do we need to develop, what discipline do we as fathers and mothers. as grandfathers and grandmothers to model the way back to heaven? President Eyring then quotes the following: Doctrine and Covenants 121:41–44.

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
“By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
“Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
“That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death."

Does persuasion really work?

Will long suffering bring the desired results?

How about gentleness and meekness? Love unfeigned?

Experiences: Could I tell you an experience I recently had about using unhappiness?  (this is supposed to be funny so laugh).
1. getting upset about something last Thursday.  I got to my next appointment late.  changed into my workout clothes, locked the locker, looked down saw that I will still in my underwear.Things never to right when we are acting our of our unhappiness!

SAY - Until we experiment on these Christ Like attributes we cannot know that really work.

Q: What does it take to develop these attributes of Christ?  If you're like me, it first takes believing that these principles will work.

SAY - After we believe and desire to change we must ask God help.  We ask for grace.  We then show our desire by working at it.  We practice the principle.  We fail and we try again.  After much effort and prayer God grants to us the attribute of Christ that we have been desiring with all sincerity and real intent.

And here is the promise: I Quote from PE's talk

And later the promise comes of great worth for us as fathers in Zion: “The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.”

PE then says:

That is a high standard for us, but when we with faith control our tempers and subdue our pride, the Holy Ghost gives His approval, and sacred promises and covenants become sure.

I know that Jesus is the Christ and is our Savior. I testify that President Thomas S. Monson holds and exercises all the keys of the priesthood on the earth today. I love and sustain him. I believe as we model our lives after our Savior we become examples to our spouse and our children.  We become powerful people the more Christ like we become.  In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.