Elder Timothy J. Dyches, United States
Europe Area Presidency
Europe Area Presidency
The prophet Isaiah declared, “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.”1
The Holy Temple of the Lord is “the mountain of the Lord” where we can strengthen our faith in our Heavenly Father and in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Within the sacred walls of each temple, we are taught “of his ways,” where we came from, our purpose here on earth as we “walk in his paths”, and where we may go. The House of the Lord is a sublime setting for exercising our agency in learning and becoming.
As your Area Presidency, we rejoice with you in the many blessings the temple brings into our lives. “Our greatest desire is to see people living joyfully and preparing to go to the temple where they receive ordinances and make covenants necessary for the exaltation of their families and become spiritually and temporally self-reliant.”2
In this ever-changing world, the temple stands firm and steadfast.
Temple worship reminds us of the reality of binding families together and the responsibilities of parents to their children. “The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally. 3
The goal for 2015 is for you to personally feel that connecting spirit of families in your own life. This begins as you complete the “My Family” booklet with stories and family history about your ancestors, and then taking them to the temple.
When attending the temple we render Christ-like service in performing acts of love for those who cannot do it by themselves. President Joseph F. Smith stated, “Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties.”4
In my own family, some of our most treasured memories have come as we joined together in the temple to perform sacred ordinances for our own deceased ancestors. “Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own.”5
A member recently wrote: “Each time I attend the temple, I feel the spirit burn deep within me. Just being on the temple grounds is an amazing spiritual experience, but being inside and serving the Lord and helping my ancestors by giving them the opportunity to accept the gospel gives me a feeling I am struggling to put into words…a feeling that overwhelms me the moment I cross the door into the Temple.”6
Transcendent blessings await all who enter into the sacred ordinances and covenants of the temple. We become better people, better disciples of Christ. Consistent temple worship deepens our love of God, strengthens our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and increases our ability to feel the Holy Ghost in our lives.
Today, we must ask ourselves: Are we fully converted? Do we reflect in our countenances the joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as true disciples should?
“If you have not yet been to the temple or if you have been but currently do not qualify for a recommend, there is no more important goal for you to work toward than being worthy to go to the temple. . . Secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.”7
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Your life will never be the same again. Greater peace, joy and faith are waiting for you. Let us go forward with greater faith this year with our eyes firmly fixed on the Temple. Be temple worthy every day.
- Isaiah 2:3
- 2015 Europe Area Plan
- The Family: A Proclamation to the World
- Gospel Doctrine, 469–70.
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Waiting on the Road to Damascus,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 76.
- (personal communication)
- Thomas S. Monson, “The Holy Temple—a Beacon to the World,” May 2011