Our Divine Creator

                How would your faith in Jesus Christ increase if you understood better the life and mission of the Savior?  We can learn about His mission by studying the scriptures and the words of modern prophets and apostles.  Part of the divine mission of Jesus Christ was to create this earth for our home.  The scriptures tell us that Jesus Christ created the earth with priesthood power under the direction of our Heavenly Father.

                In His own words to some ancient Americans, the Savior said, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God.  I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.  I was with the Father from the beginning….”  (See Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 3 Nephi 9:15.)

                God showed Moses “many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof.”  Moses wanted God to tell him how He had made all those worlds.

                “And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face.  And the Lord God said unto Moses:  For mine own purpose have I made these things.  Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.

                “And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten, who is full of grace and truth.

                “And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.  [Emphasis added.]

                “And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.

                “But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you.  For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power.  And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them” (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:29-35).

                Abraham recorded, “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; …

                “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;

                “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:22, 24-25).

                The words of God tell us that He created this earth by the Son for His own reasons.  God later told Moses why He spends His time doing the things that He does: “For behold, this is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

                President Thomas S. Monson spoke about the purposes of the creation:  “How grateful we should be that a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here, with a veil of forgetfulness of our previous existence so that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves in order to qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive.

                “Clearly, one primary purpose of our existence upon the earth is to obtain a body of flesh and bones.  We have also been given the gift of agency.  In a thousand ways we are privileged to choose for ourselves.  Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience.  We discern between good and evil.  We differentiate as to the bitter and the sweet.  We discover that there are consequences attached to our actions.

                “By obedience to God’s commandments, we can qualify for the `house’ spoken of by Jesus when He declared:  `In my Father’s house are many mansions….  I go to prepare a place for you … that where I am, there ye may be also’ [John 14:2-3] (“The Race of Life,” Ensign, May 2012).  

                President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency spoke about Moses’ visit with God and his statement “I know that man is nothing” ( Moses 1:10).  President Uchtdorf continued:  “The more we learn about the universe, the more we understand – at least in a small part – what Moses knew.  The universe is so large, mysterious, and glorious that it is incomprehensible to the human mind….

                “But even though man is nothing, it fills me with wonder and awe to think that `the worth of souls s great in the sight of God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10).

                “And while we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, `What is man in comparison to the glory of creation?’ God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe!  His work and glory – the purpose for this magnificent universe – is to save and exalt mankind (Moses 1:38-39).  In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me.  Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.

                “This is a paradox of man:  compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God.  While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breasts.  We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation – worlds without end – within our grasp.  And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it” (“You Matter to Him,” Ensign, November 2011). 

                We have the privilege of studying about Jesus Christ and his mission.  By doing so we can gain understanding of how important we are to God even though we are nothing in comparison to Him.  I am very grateful for the Savior and for His divine mission.  I am grateful for this beautiful world that He created that I – and all my spirit brothers and sisters – could come here to gain a body and to prepare to return to God’s presence.  I love Him, and I am grateful for all that He does for me.