2001
Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice: Temple Blessings
August 2001


“Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice: Temple Blessings,” Friend, Aug. 2001, 2

Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice:

Temple Blessings

Inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord … my glory shall rest upon it (D&C 97:15).

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James E. Faust

Great blessings for ourselves and for our families come from going to the temple. We can live worthy of these blessings by obeying the commandments. President James E. Faust talked about these blessings. Here are some of the things he said. You may want to talk about them with your parent.

We are living in the greatest day of temple building. … The faithful Saints who pay their tithes and offerings have made this possible, and each will receive eternal blessings. …

Each temple building is an inspiration, magnificent and beautiful in every way, but the temple building alone does not bless. The … blessings … come through obedience and faithfulness to priesthood authority and covenants made. …

In the magnificence and splendor of our modern temples, well might we pause and reflect upon the laborers without shirts and shoes who built the Nauvoo and Kirtland Temples. Each temple that stands today is a vindication of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and a triumph for them and all of our people who suffered the destruction, the beatings, and the murders at the hands of cruel tyrants in the mobs who drove our people west. …

In the temples of the Lord, we learn obedience. We learn sacrifice. We … have our lives consecrated to holy purposes. …

We can see in vision the countless couples in their youth and beauty coming to be married. We see clearly the unspeakable joy on their countenances (faces) as they are sealed together [for eternity]. … We can see unnumbered families surrounding the altar, all clothed in white, with bowed heads and clasped hands, as they are sealed one to another. … We can see the army of angelic young children … coming to the house of the Lord with awe and wonder to be baptized for the dead.

We see … heavenly hosts unnumbered whose eternal odysseys (journeys) have been suspended as they wait for their vicarious work to be done. … We can see families dancing, shouting, and crying with joy in their being united in another world.

The spirit and blessings of the temple can fill our homes as we live worthy lives. Even before we are old enough to go to the temple, we can prepare our hearts by being obedient and choosing the right. When we do go to the temple, we can share its blessings with our ancestors.

Kirtland Temple (top)

Building of the Nauvoo Temple © Glen Hopkinson

Family photo © Photodisc