One of the great latter-day scriptures of the restoration given through Joseph Smith, is when the Lord tells us His purpose.
"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
Moses 1: 39
I have heard this quoted many times. I have also heard it explained many times at length.
This little passage deserves the attention it gets. How marvelous to be given such a succinct summary of what God thinks and feels about Himself, and what He does to bring to pass His own happiness by fulfilling His mission!
It is worth our considering what we might do to help bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of God's children.
Many times, I've heard it taught that because of Jesus's resurrection, and His extension of that gift to all who "keep their first estate," or come to earth and receive a physical body, there is nothing we do to assist God in bringing to pass the immortality of mankind.
Usually, the focus is entirely on eternal life, as if this is the only part we have any power to influence, by our obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
Jesus simply "took care of" the immortality part, with nothing we are to do to bring to pass the immortality of mankind?
I don't subscribe to this "glossing over" attitude towards immortality.
What about creating mortal bodies for the immortal spirits waiting in the presence of God?
Yes! There is an awful lot we do to bring to pass the immortality of man! We build families! We keep the law of chastity, and thereby enjoy the most exalted power given to us mortals here on earth—that of joining with God in creation of life upon the earth!
Of course, Christ is the one who immortalizes those bodies in resurrected glory through His matchless power of redemption and resurrection. But we have to create those bodies first!
Much of the evil forces in the world seek to destroy eternal life, obviously. But they also seek to destroy, or at least mock, immortality by tempting us not to build families. Think of how the current confusion regarding the eternity of gender and of proper family relationships seeks to thwart immortality as well as eternal life. One example is the effort currently underway to sterilize individuals who struggle with understanding their roles in families.
Though these and similar efforts cannot prevent the Lord from sending all of His children to receive a body eventually, they can prevent people from experiencing the joy of parenthood and the fulfillment of starting and nurturing a family during their mortal lives.
There is a lot for us to do to seek to bring to pass the immortality of man.
Take courage. The simple actions you perform in building a good strong family don't go unnoticed by your Heavenly Father. No effort is wasted.
Make it your work and your glory to bring to pass immortality and eternal life.
