"There is a difference in just attending the temple and having a rich spiritual
experience."
One of the great blessings that we enjoy today is the opportunity to attend the
temple. With an ever-increasing number of temples, the blessings of the temple
are available to a growing number of Church members.
These blessings should not be taken lightly. The Savior has commanded that
we should "trifle not with sacred things" (D&C
6:12). The temple and the holy ordinances are indeed sacred, and we should
be spiritually sensitive to them. It is a sacred blessing to attend the temple
to worship the Lord.
There is a difference in just attending the temple and having a rich spiritual
experience. The real blessings of the temple come as we enhance our temple experience.
To do so, we must feel a spirit of reverence for the temple and a spirit of
worship.
Spirit of Reverence
All who attend the temple should remember the counsel of the Lord when He said,
"Reverence my sanctuary" (Lev.
19:30). Reverence is an expression of deep respect, honor, and adoration
for the Lord. It is having reverence for His name, for His words, for His ordinances
and covenants, for His servants, for His chapels, and for His temples.
It is an outward indication of an inner feeling that we have for Him. We should
always remember that it is by His invitation that we come to His holy house,
the temple of the Lord. We should respond to His invitation by being worthy,
by being prepared, and by having the temple as a priority in our lives. While
in the temple we should act as if we are in His holy presence.
To be reverent is not just to be quiet. It involves an awareness of what is
taking place. It involves a divine desire to learn and to be receptive to the
promptings of the Spirit. It involves a striving to seek added light and knowledge.
Irreverence is not only an act of disrespect for Deity, but it makes it impossible
for the Spirit to teach us the things that we need to know.
It is in the temple that we must speak in reverent tones. Reverence is no minor
nor mundane matter. It has eternal consequences and should be treated as divine
in nature. To be reverent in the temple, we must sense it to be a place of purity
and a place of holiness.
Place of purity. The temple is a place of purity. It is of the utmost
importance that we keep the temple pure and holy. The Savior promised:
"And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and
do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, . . . my
glory shall rest upon it;
"Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it" (D&C
97:15–16).
Those who enter the temple should prepare both their hearts and their minds.
They should be able to answer in the affirmative to the questions asked by Alma
when he said: "Can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean
hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon
your countenances?" (Alma
5:19).
When we are reverent in the temple, we help to keep it pure and holy, free
from distractions and offenses to the Spirit. We must remember to say or do
nothing that would be offensive to the Lord.
President David O. McKay counseled, "When you enter a Church building, you
are coming into the presence of our Father in heaven; and that thought should
be sufficient incentive for you to prepare your hearts, your minds, and even
your attire, that you might appropriately and properly sit in his presence"
(Improvement Era, July 1962, 509).
Reverence involves thinking, speaking, feeling, and acting as we would in the
presence of the Lord.
Place of holiness. The temple is a place of holiness. It is the most
sacred and holy place on earth and should be treated with the greatest degree
of reverence and respect. Reverence in the temple is an expression to the Lord
that we consider it to be sacred and that we recognize it to be, indeed, His
holy house.
Spirit of Worship
The temple is a place of worship. Reverence is a supernal form of worship.
It is the form of worship that is found in the celestial kingdom. In the vision
of the degrees of glory given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, this celestial worship
was described with these words:
"And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, . . . where
God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever;
"Before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory
forever and ever" (D&C
76:92–93).
Our worship in the temple is in preparation to live in the presence of our
Heavenly Father and His Son. We should worship Them in a spirit of humility
and in a spirit of reverence.
True worship of the Lord in His holy house means that we should enhance our
temple experience. We can obtain a rich spiritual experience in the temple by
doing the following:
First, we must leave the world behind as we enter the temple.
Second, we must seek to gain added light and knowledge.
Leave the world behind. When we enter the temple, we should leave
the world behind. We should feel what it would be like when we enter the presence
of the Lord. We may consider what thoughts we would think and what communications
we would have in His holy presence. If we can catch the vision of this eventual
event, it will help us in preparing to enter His presence and in leaving the
world behind as we enter His temple.
1. Thoughts
As we enter the temple grounds, we should leave our worldly thoughts behind
and focus on the sacred responsibilities that are ours as we serve in the house
of the Lord.
Our thoughts should be spiritual in nature. We must remember that the Lord
is aware of our thoughts. He spoke to Ezekiel and said, "I know the things that
come into your mind, every one of them" (Ezek.
11:5).
2. Communications
The Savior has given us great counsel concerning our communications in the
temple. He said: "Therefore, cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, . . . from
all your pride and light-mindedness" (D&C
88:121).
Just as we leave our worldly thoughts behind as we enter the temple grounds,
we should also leave our worldly discussions behind. It is inappropriate to
discuss matters of business, pleasure, or current events in the temple.
It is important not only what we speak in the temple, but also the manner in
which we speak. We must always speak in soft and subdued tones in all places
in the temple. This should be our temple voice.
There should be silence in the sacred ordinance areas of the temple, except
for the necessary communications concerning the performance of the ordinances.
These ordinance areas are sacred and should not be used for any worldly conversations.
The Savior has given us loving counsel that will assist us in enhancing our
temple experience by leaving the world behind: "And verily I say unto thee that
thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a
better" (D&C
25:10).
Perhaps the chastening words of the Savior to David Whitmer may be appropriate
for us to remember:
"But your mind has been on the things of the earth more than on the things
of me, your Maker, . . . and you have not given heed unto
my Spirit. . . .
"Wherefore, you are left to inquire for yourself" (D&C
30:2–3).
Seek to gain added light and knowledge. Gaining added light and knowledge
is not a passive process. It involves focusing on the things of the Spirit and
seeking the spiritual lessons to be learned. The Savior counseled: "And if your
eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and
there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light
comprehendeth all things" (D&C
88:67).
The Spirit of the Holy Ghost is the teacher in the temple. He teaches principles
of eternal significance. It is during these instructions that we see the relationship
between the earthly and the eternal. We must remember that the Spirit teaches
only those who are teachable. If we enter the temple seeking added light and
knowledge, we can learn and understand something new during the temple experience.
The Savior promised: "That which is of God is light; and he that . . . continueth
in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until
the perfect day" (D&C
50:24).
Conclusion
May we enhance our temple experience with a spirit of reverence, treating it
as a place of purity and a place of holiness. May we enhance our temple experience
with a spirit of worship by leaving the world behind and seeking to obtain added
light and knowledge. If we do these things, the Lord will bless us and we will
become prepared to live in His holy presence. To this I testify in the sacred
name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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