Abraham 3:22–28

 

Why are the truths about pre-mortal life valuable to you? What difference do they make in your life?

"22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.

28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him." (Abraham 3:22–28)

And here's the commentary entitled: "I lived as a spirit before I was born on earth." :

"We know very little about our premortal life. But much of what we do know comes from Abraham’s vision in Abraham 3:22–28. As you read these verses, make a list of truths you find—including truths about yourself and about Jesus Christ. Why are these truths valuable to you? What difference do they make in your life?

See also Topics and Questions, “Premortal Life,” Gospel Library."

List of truths I find—including truths about myself and about Jesus Christ:

• I lived as a spirit before I was born on earth—I am one of the many good souls who were among the spirit children of my Heavenly Parents.
• I was there during the council in heaven where God presented His plan for the eternal progression and happiness of His spirit children. 
• I was chosen before I was born to fulfill my mission. 
• Jesus Christ, Father in Heaven's Only Begotten Son, His Firstborn among His spirit children, our Elder Brother volunteered and was chosen to become our Savior and Redeemer.
• Jesus Christ created the earth from unorganized materials as the place where God's children would be born and dwell while being tested.
• I am here on earth because I kept my first estate by following Jesus Christ.
• I am here on earth to prove to God that I will continue to do all things to obey the Lord's commandments.
• I can keep my second estate when I am able to prove my faithfulness in obeying His commandments. 
• I will have glory added upon me forever and ever as my reward when I am able to keep my first estate—I will inherit eternal life and receive eternal glory. 

These truths are valuable to me because through them I am able to have my eternal perspective. If life is like a big puzzle, these truths are the pieces of the puzzle which, when put together, complete the big picture, and I am able to see clearly that everything has a purpose—everything makes sense. 

I'm so grateful for having all these truths. Having these truths in my possession helps me see life on earth as a period of learning and growing (probationary period, as The Book of Mormon teaches) as I walk by faith. I'm also able to see that this earthly existence is only a dot in my whole existence as an eternal being, and yet it determines how my life will look like throughout all eternity after this second estate is over. Knowing where my life truly started, and that I was given the freedom of choice from the beginning to figure out for myself what really matters to me, helps me see how our Heavenly Father does love and honor each of His children. And knowing that I already chose to follow Jesus Christ even before I was born here on earth, strengthens my desire to continue following Him and eventually prove, come judgment day, that I am worthy to receive all that Heavenly Father has in store for me as His reward for His children who proved themselves worthy.