| Contributed by: Ann The
Blessings of the Temple
Wordstrips:
The
temple is a haven of peace.
The temple is a
sanctuary of service.
The temple is a house
of covenants.
The temple is a place
of revelation.
Quotations
Quote 1
President Gordon B. Hinckley, First Counselor in the First
Presidency, said that the temple is "a symbol of strength, a haven of peace, a
sanctuary of service, a school of instruction, a place of revelation, … a house of
covenants" ("The Salt Lake Temple," Ensign, Mar. 1993, p. 4).
Quote 2
An Experience of Elder Dean L. Larsen of the Seventy:
"Not long ago I
filled a stake conference assignment in an area outside the United States where one of the
temples is located. My travel itinerary allowed me to arrive at the conference location an
hour or two before the conference meetings began. I had spent several hours at airports
and on airplanes, caught up in the tension and frustrations that so often accompany
international travel.
"Since there was
adequate time following my arrival and before the conference meetings were to begin, I
asked the local priesthood leaders if we could make a brief visit to the temple.
"The weather was
deteriorating, and before we reached the temple, a cold, drizzling rain had begun to fall.
The conditions failed to lift from me the mood that had been set in the bustling, worldly
atmosphere of the airport and the clearances through customs and immigration.
"We hurried from
the parking lot at the temple to avoid becoming drenched by the rain. Immediately upon our
entering the doors of the temple, the atmosphere changed. I sensed a spirit of warmth and
peace. The countenances of the temple patrons were a marked contrast to those of the
harried travelers whom I had left a short time before at the airport. In a very real
sense, it seemed as though we had walked through the temple doors into a different world.
I found myself smiling at the people in the foyer area. My spirits were lifted, and the
concerns of the outside world melted away" ("The Importance of the Temple for
Living Members," Ensign, Apr. 1993, p. 10).
Quote 3
Sister Janette C. Hales, Young Women General President,
said:
"If we really
take our baptismal covenants seriously, we would be prepared at any time, if the
circumstances were right, to go to the temple. I like to think that a temple recommend,
whether or not we have one in our possession, is something we would want to be worthy for
each day no matter what age we are or what we are doing. …
"Because of the
nature of temple covenants and the importance of the promises of eternal families and
eternal blessings, it’s very important that people understand at an early age that
this preparation most often covers a long period of time. If the habits and the discipline
and the characteristics that help us to be worthy of that blessing can be an ongoing part
of our lives, we are much better equipped to sustain the kind of behavior that will allow
us to honor those very important covenants" ("Keeping Covenants Brings
Blessings," LDS Church News, 13 Feb. 1993, p. 10).
Quote 4
President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote the following about
how temple covenants can bless us throughout our lives:
"If we go into
the temple we raise our hands and covenant that we will serve the Lord and observe his
commandments and keep ourselves unspotted from the world. If we realize what we are doing
then the endowment will be a protection to us all our lives—a protection which a man
[or woman] who does not go to the temple does not have.
"I have heard my
father say that in the hour of trial, in the hour of temptation, he would think of the
promises, the covenants that he made in the House of the Lord, and they were a protection
to him. … This protection is what these ceremonies are for, in part. … I know
that this protection is given for I, too, have realized it, as have thousands of others
who have remembered their obligations" (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine,
July 1930, p. 103).
Quote 5
President Gordon B. Hinckley said: "The answers to
these questions are not found in the wisdom of men. They are found only in the revealed
word of God. Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are sacred
structures in which these and other eternal questions are answered" ("Why These
Temples?" in Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Ensign,
1988], p. 2).
Quote 6
President Ezra Taft Benson said: "In the peace of these
lovely temples, sometimes we find solutions to the serious problems of life. Under the
influence of the Spirit, sometimes pure knowledge flows to us there. Temples are places of
personal revelation. When I have been weighed down by a problem or a difficulty, I have
gone to the House of the Lord with a prayer in my heart for answers. These answers have
come in clear and unmistakable ways" ("What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children
about the Temple," Ensign, Aug. 1985, p. 8).
Quote 7
President Harold B. Lee said: "When you enter a holy
temple, you are by that course gaining fellowship with the Saints in God’s eternal
kingdom, where time is no more. In the temples of your God you are endowed not with a rich
legacy of worldly treasure, but with a wealth of eternal riches that are above price"
("Enter a Holy Temple," Improvement Era, June 1967, p. 144).
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