Christmas devotional - Young Women's General President - the train

[telnetd]

Around the 11:55 mark, she shared the story of a boy (Harold) who was asked by his father to give his 
favorite train set to his brother (Arnold) for Christmas. God, likewise, gives us a priceless gift of 
the Savior.

Like the shepherds, we need to receive God's gifts, even when they don't fit our timing.

Apart from gratefully accepting the gift, did Arnold need to do anything else (like asking forgiveness for
offences he had committed against Harold or by doing good deeds towards his other family members or 
neighbors) to deserve this gift from his brother Harold?

The way I understand eternal life (which the church defines as exaltation), this so-called 'gift' must 
be earned by keeping all the commandments and faithfully enduring to the end.

Is the gift Bonnie Cordon referring to solely the resurrection?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng&video=11519526796484774745&mode=watch

 

[CV75]

1 hour ago, telnetd said:

Around the 11:55 mark, she shared the story of a boy (Harold) who was asked by his father to give his 
favorite train set to his brother (Arnold) for Christmas. God, likewise, gives us a priceless gift of 
the Savior.

Like the shepherds, we need to receive God's gifts, even when they don't fit our timing.

Apart from gratefully accepting the gift, did Arnold need to do anything else (like asking forgiveness for
offences he had committed against Harold or by doing good deeds towards his other family members or 
neighbors) to deserve this gift from his brother Harold?

The way I understand eternal life (which the church defines as exaltation), this so-called 'gift' must 
be earned by keeping all the commandments and faithfully enduring to the end.

Is the gift Bonnie Cordon referring to solely the resurrection?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng&video=11519526796484774745&mode=watch

 

The "priceless gift of the Savior" embodies all that we are willing to receive by grace. For some, that is the resurrection alone. To paraphrase Sister Cordon, when we understand the significance behind the gift, it becomes priceless; that significance is a kingdom of glory. Whatever glory, exaltation or less, that we are willing to understand and receive is (or becomes) priceless, to us.

“...When Arnold understood the significance behind the gift, that train became priceless.”

President Cordon’s First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional message - Church News (thechurchnews.com)

[InCognitus]

1 hour ago, telnetd said:

The way I understand eternal life (which the church defines as exaltation), this so-called 'gift' must 
be earned by keeping all the commandments and faithfully enduring to the end.

Is the gift Bonnie Cordon referring to solely the resurrection?

Exaltation itself is a gift, because nobody can perfectly keep the commandments and endure to the end, for all have sinned and fall short.  It is a gift from God for him to grant to anyone a way to receive exaltation and have the life that he enjoys.  

This is similar to the discussion we had in December of 2020, when the user name @TheTanakas asked this question:  "What Christmas gifts from family members can we earn by our own merits and which we cannot?"  (See the "Christmas gifts - what's in store for us?" thread.)   And this is also similar to the discussion that came from your prior thread on The Fate of the Unredeemed, where  a similar question was asked under the user name @theplains about how a "gift" can have an aspect to it that must be earned, and there was a lengthy discussion on that topic.  The responses given at that time could be applicable here again.

[bluebell]

1 hour ago, telnetd said:

Around the 11:55 mark, she shared the story of a boy (Harold) who was asked by his father to give his 
favorite train set to his brother (Arnold) for Christmas. God, likewise, gives us a priceless gift of 
the Savior.

Like the shepherds, we need to receive God's gifts, even when they don't fit our timing.

Apart from gratefully accepting the gift, did Arnold need to do anything else (like asking forgiveness for
offences he had committed against Harold or by doing good deeds towards his other family members or 
neighbors) to deserve this gift from his brother Harold?

The way I understand eternal life (which the church defines as exaltation), this so-called 'gift' must 
be earned by keeping all the commandments and faithfully enduring to the end.

Is the gift Bonnie Cordon referring to solely the resurrection?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng&video=11519526796484774745&mode=watch

 

Maybe exaltation isn't one of the gifts she was referring to.  

[ksfisher]

1 hour ago, telnetd said:

Around the 11:55 mark, she shared the story of a boy (Harold) who was asked by his father to give his 
favorite train set to his brother (Arnold) for Christmas. God, likewise, gives us a priceless gift of 
the Savior.

Like the shepherds, we need to receive God's gifts, even when they don't fit our timing.

Apart from gratefully accepting the gift, did Arnold need to do anything else (like asking forgiveness for
offences he had committed against Harold or by doing good deeds towards his other family members or 
neighbors) to deserve this gift from his brother Harold?

The way I understand eternal life (which the church defines as exaltation), this so-called 'gift' must 
be earned by keeping all the commandments and faithfully enduring to the end.

Is the gift Bonnie Cordon referring to solely the resurrection?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng&video=11519526796484774745&mode=watch

 

Harold gave up something precious to him to make his brother Arnold happy.  In like manner our Father in Heaven gave us the gift of His son so that we may one day return to our Father and be happy.  I don't think Sister Cordon meant for the story to be understood at a much deeper level than that.

[The Nehor]

Curse Arnold that lazy freeloader!!!

[JLHPROF]

4 hours ago, telnetd said:

Around the 11:55 mark, she shared the story of a boy (Harold) who was asked by his father to give his 
favorite train set to his brother (Arnold) for Christmas. God, likewise, gives us a priceless gift of 
the Savior.

Like the shepherds, we need to receive God's gifts, even when they don't fit our timing.

Apart from gratefully accepting the gift, did Arnold need to do anything else (like asking forgiveness for
offences he had committed against Harold or by doing good deeds towards his other family members or 
neighbors) to deserve this gift from his brother Harold?

The way I understand eternal life (which the church defines as exaltation), this so-called 'gift' must 
be earned by keeping all the commandments and faithfully enduring to the end.

Is the gift Bonnie Cordon referring to solely the resurrection?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng&video=11519526796484774745&mode=watch

 

Saying it's solely the resurrection oversimplifies salvation.

Yes it differs from exaltation but it's hardly just resurrection.

Also while exaltation may require obedience to law (not a free gift) it comes every bit from Christ as our salvation does.

[Kenngo1969]

Because of the Fall, It would not be possible for us to obtain exaltation without Christ's Atonement even we were to live perfect, sinless lives.  See 2 Nephi 9, esp. vv. 8-9.

[Amulek]

On 12/8/2022 at 2:52 PM, telnetd said:

Apart from gratefully accepting the gift, did Arnold need to do anything else (like asking forgiveness for offences he had committed against Harold or by doing good deeds towards his other family members or neighbors) to deserve this gift from his brother Harold?

The way I understand eternal life (which the church defines as exaltation), this so-called 'gift' must be earned by keeping all the commandments and faithfully enduring to the end.

After having received the train, do you believe Arnold is capable of rejecting or destroying the gift that was freely given?

Or is the train indestructible and now attached to him for the rest of his life, with him having no other choice but to take it with him everywhere he goes - forever?

 

[telnetd]

On 12/13/2022 at 10:04 AM, Amulek said:

After having received the train, do you believe Arnold is capable of rejecting or destroying the gift that was freely given?

Or is the train indestructible and now attached to him for the rest of his life, with him having no other choice but to take it with him everywhere he goes - forever?

After having first received the train, he can later reject the train.  The gift cannot be destroyed.

If he chooses to keep the train forever, it remains with him forever.

He has a choice.

[Amulek]

19 hours ago, telnetd said:

After having first received the train, he can later reject the train.  The gift cannot be destroyed.

If he chooses to keep the train forever, it remains with him forever.

He has a choice.

Okay, then what in your mind constitutes "later reject[ing] the train?"

Does living a life of unrepentant sin and debauchery count as rejecting the gift? What if one decides to go all Hitlery and kill a few million Jews or something...so long as he still really wants to go to heaven - is he good to go still?

Where is the line? And why isn't it the case that staying on the right side of that line isn't considered "earning" the gift, but enduring to the end is?

 

[InCognitus]

2 hours ago, Amulek said:

Okay, then what in your mind constitutes "later reject[ing] the train?"

Does living a life of unrepentant sin and debauchery count as rejecting the gift? What if one decides to go all Hitlery and kill a few million Jews or something...so long as he still really wants to go to heaven - is he good to go still?

That's just a train wreck.  

[telnetd]

On 12/19/2022 at 9:13 AM, Amulek said:

Okay, then what in your mind constitutes "later reject[ing] the train?"

Does living a life of unrepentant sin and debauchery count as rejecting the gift? What if one decides to go all Hitlery and kill a few million Jews or something...so long as he still really wants to go to heaven - is he good to go still?

Where is the line? And why isn't it the case that staying on the right side of that line isn't considered "earning" the gift, but enduring to the end is?

 

Rejecting the train could be a few things:

• accepting the train (believing in Christ) first, then returning it (turning to a state of unbelief).
• not accepting the train in the first place (not initially believing in Christ).

Living a life of unrepentant sin and debauchery means not allowing the gift to change your life.

Would you answer my original question - did Arnold need to do anything else (like asking forgiveness for
offences he had committed against Harold or by doing good deeds towards his other family members or 
neighbors) to deserve this train gift from his brother Harold?  Or did Harold give the train to his brother
Arnold regardless of whatever Arnold did (good or bad) during the year leading up to Christmas?

Let's make it more personal.  What good deeds did you perform so your earthly parents would give you
your Christmas gift (s) or was it only their love for you that lead them to give you the gift (s)?