Blessings of Temple worship

Asia Area Presidency Message

Elder Wisit Khanakham, Of the Seventy

The first “Temple Worship” experience for me and my wife was on May 6, 1981 when we were endowed and sealed in the Tokyo Temple. We did not understand much then but we have since counted temple worship as a blessing every day in our lives. When we look back on the previous 35 years, it proves to us that the many “Blessings of Temple Worship” have come true. We still remember “as long as we keep the covenants we have made in the temple, the Lord will bless us a hundredfold.” It reminds our family of the promise made in the Book of Mormon “… therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.” 1

There are five simple ways that help us feel and count the blessings of temple worship.

Remember your temple experiences daily:

We are encouraged to return to the temple as often as possible. However, there are many faithful saints among us who live far away from the temple. Family financial difficulties do not allow many to return often. Yet, we can still embrace our feelings of temple worship by thinking of the different temple ordinances in our daily life, such as the endowment, baptism and confirmation for our ancestors, sealing etc., by so doing we can feel inner peace, joy and have a righteous desire to worship and serve in the temple.

Focus our life on the Lord Jesus Christ as the center point in our heart:

“’that the Son of man might have a place to manifest himself to his people’ (D&C109:5). The symbols and rituals of the temple help to focus our attention on the Savior.” It is understood that there is a difference between life in the temple and life outside the temple. The world hands us opposition in all aspects of life; good and bad, gladness and sorrow, success and failure, happiness and sorrow, accomplishment and disappointment. When we allow his name to be in the center of our hearts, we remember that the purpose of our temple worship is to be with Him and not with others. Our feelings of his tender mercy in the temple inspire us to be better and do better in accordance to the will of the Lord. As long as we follow His will, we will never feel distant from temple blessings.

Continue living worthily by reviewing temple recommend interview questions:

“Temples are the very center of the spiritual strength of the Church. We should expect that the adversary will try to interfere with us as a Church and with us individually as we seek to participate in this sacred and inspired work. The interference can vary from the terrible persecutions of the earlier days to apathy toward the work. The latter is perhaps the most dangerous and debilitating form of resistance to temple work. Temple work brings so much resistance because it is the source of so much spiritual power to the Latter-day Saints, and to the entire Church.”

It is vital for us to examine how we live. Reviewing the temple recommend interview questions reminds me of how I answered them to the Lord through my priesthood leaders. I am always aware that I am to live the gospel, stay on the right path and keep temple covenants even if nobody asks me the questions again. The Lord knows, watches over me and the power of the Holy Ghost permits me to feel the blessings of temple worship.

Ponder the commitments and covenants we have made in the temple:

I add my testimony to the witnesses of the Twelve Apostles that Our Heavenly Father is our true and living God and Jesus Christ is His beloved and only begotten Son. Whenever I ponder upon the commitments and covenants that I have made with the Lord in the temple, my hope in the blessings of temple worship is strengthened. I keep striving to do more even when the task might appear to be very difficult for me. An example of this would be doing Family History.

My wife and I had tried many times to do Family History but failed due to our clumsiness in high technology. We tried and failed again and again, but we have never failed to try. We finally prayed and decided to seek help from a senior couple missionary in Thailand. After seeking assistance from Family History specialists in the Asia Area and Church Headquarters, they made our day. Our questions were answered and we were able to continue temple work for our ancestors from lost old records. “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” Pondering the commitments and covenants we make in the temple is a source of the blessings of temple worship.

Having the right vision and right attitude towards the blessings of temple worship:

If we have a clear picture in our minds that the blessings of temple worship reveals spiritual matters to us individually, we will not challenge the Lord by asking: “Why am I still poor?,” “Why did I lose my lifetime job?,” “Why do I not have sufficient means to pay a full Tithe?,” “Why am I so frustrated in my church calling?”, “Why am I not happy in the home?” and so on. “…..temple attendance allows us to serve others and to continue to gain greater spiritual knowledge …No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work and the genealogical research which supports it. No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power. No work requires a higher standard of righteousness…If we will accept the revelation concerning temple ordinance work, if we will enter into our covenants without reservation or apology, the Lord will protect us. We will receive inspiration sufficient for challenges of life ….”

I know the temple is the Holy House of the Lord and the blessings are for all who are faithful and willing to accept the fruits of the Spirit……”love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.” 6 These fruits of the Spirit produce within us such strong spiritual self-reliance that we as individuals and as families can learn how to bear worldly challenges and difficulties step by step.

I testify of this in the sacred name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, amen. ■

Caption: Elder Wisit Khanakham

NOTES

1 See Mosiah 2:22.

2 See Endowed from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual (2003), 31-35; or, https://www.lds.org/manual/endowed-from-on-high-temple-preparation-seminar-teachers-manual/lesson-7-continuing-to-enjoy-the-blessings-of-temple-attendance.

Endowed from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual

3 See “Not without Opposition,” Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple (2002), 1-37; or, www.lds.org/manual/preparing-to-enter-the-holy-temple/preparing-to-enter-the-holy-temple.

Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple

4 See Doctrine and Covenants 82:10.

5 See Endowed from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual (2003), 31-35; or, https://www.lds.org/manual/endowed-from-on-high-temple-preparation-seminar-teachers-manual/lesson-7-continuing-to-enjoy-the-blessings-of-temple-attendance.

Endowed from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual

6 See Galatians 5:22-23.