Reverence

As people show reverence for God, they also show reverence and gratitude for His blessings, His commandments, His prophets, His Church, His ordinances, His priesthood, and His plan for His children. A reverent attitude includes self-respect and personal purity. It leads to proper worship and right conduct.

Reverent behavior includes prayer, scripture study, fasting, and payment of tithes and offerings. It includes having wholesome thoughts, wearing modest clothing, and using clean, wholesome language. The depth of a person's reverence is evident in his or her choice of music and other entertainment, in the way sacred subjects are spoken of, and in the way the person dresses and acts when attending church services and worshiping in the temple. Reverence also includes making righteous choices even when no one is watching. Reverence for the Lord leads to serving other people and treating them with kindness and respect.

Reverence leads to a quiet transformation in life. The Lord will pour out His Spirit more abundantly on those who are reverent. They are less troubled and confused. They are able to receive revelation to help them solve personal and family problems.

Just as reverence brings an individual closer to God, irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary. Satan will tempt people to follow the world's trend to more noise, transitory excitement, and contention and to less restraint and quiet dignity.

See also Faith; Gratitude; Modesty; Prayer; Revelation; Worship

—See True to the Faith (2004), 145

• "Reverence"

  Marion G. Romney, Ensign, Sept. 1982, 3–5
  When we speak of reverence with respect to God, this reverence and respect, mingled with love and devotion, takes on the quality of worshipful adoration.

• "Hallowed Be Thy Name"

  Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, Nov. 1977, 52–54
  In the process of moral decline, reverence is one of the first virtues to disappear, and there should be serious concern about that loss in our times.

• "Reverence"

  Keith L. Smith, Ensign, July 2003, 60–65
  Reverence is more than being quiet. It reveals our love for God.

• "Them That Honour Me I Will Honour"

  James E. Faust, Liahona, July 2001, 53–56; or Ensign, May 2001, 45–47
  In reverence for the sacred, overarching and undergirding all else is a love and respect for Deity.

• "Reverence Invites Revelation"

  Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Nov. 1991, 21–23
  The spirit of reverence can and should be evident in every organization in the Church and in the lives of every member.

• "Serve God Acceptably with Reverence and Godly Fear"

  L. Tom Perry, Ensign, Nov. 1990, 70–72
  Reverence flows from our admiration and respect for Deity. Those who are truly reverent are those who have paid the price to know the glory of the Father and His Son.

• "Children Can Learn Reverence"

  Owen W. Cahoon and Annette B. Olsen, Ensign, Feb. 1984, 52–54
  The more abundantly we feel the Spirit and the closer we feel to our Heavenly Father, the more reverent we naturally feel.

Search Church magazines for content related to this topic.

• "Reverence"

  Guide to the Scriptures

• "Reverence"

  Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood, Part A, Lesson 32

• "Reverence"

  The Latter-day Saint Woman, Part A, Lesson 7

• "Elements of Worship"

  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, Chapter 4

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Search additional lesson manuals for content related to this topic.