Our lesson came from Chp. 13 in our Ezra Taft Benson manual,
Priceless Blessing of the House of the Lord. There is a sweet memory shared from Pres. Benson at the beginning of the lesson when he remembered his mother ironing her temple robes to get ready to go the the temple. "She drew a chair close to mine, and told me about temple work - how important it is to be able to go to the temple and participate in the sacred ordinances performed there."
We learn about six ways that the temple is important to us in this lesson. The first is that Temples are symbols of all we hold dear. "The temple is the nearest place to heaven on mortal earth." President Benson also teaches us that, "The temple is a constant, visible symbol that God has not left man to grope in darkness. it is a place of revelation." He shares of a time as the Secretary of Agriculture when he was asked to greet the president of a country in Los Angeles, California. He says, "As I sat there in this dinner, which was sponsored in large measure by the motion picture industry and at which many movie stars were present, I could look out a beautiful bay window. Down the avenue, on the elevation, I could see the soft floodlights around our glorious Los Angeles Temple, and I had the joy of pointing it out to my guests and to friends at our table and other tables. I thought, as we sat there, 'Much of what goes on tonight is simply the froth of life. The things that endure, the things that are real, the things that are important are those things represented in the temple of God.'"
The second important point taught to us is that we need temple ordinances and covenants. "If a couple are true to their covenants, they are entitled to the blessing of the the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. These covenants today can only be entered into by going to the House of the Lord."
The only way we receive God's greatest blessings pertaining to eternal life is through temple ordinances and covenants. This is the third way that temples are so important. We learn that, "There is power associated with he ordinances of heaven - even the power of godliness - which can and will thwart the forces of evil if we will be worthy of those sacred blessings. Our community will be protected, our families will be protected, our children will be safeguarded as we live the gospel, visit the temple, and live close to the Lord . . . God bless us as Saints to live worthy of the covenants and ordinances made in this sacred place."
Our teacher did such a wonderful job reminding us of the fourth way that temples are of great importance: We have the privilege of opening the doors of salvation to our ancestors. Pres. Benson said, "When I think of genealogy, I see people - people I love who are waiting for our family, their posterity, to help them gain exaltation in the celestial kingdom." On the board was written If not me, then who? If we do not take the time to do temple work for our dead, we also cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
The temple is a sacred place, but just because it is sacred does not mean we shouldn't talk to our children and grandchildren about it's magnificence. Pres. Benson tells us that the fifth way the temple is so important is that our children and youth need to learn about the blessings that await them there. We need to answer questions they have about the temple and talk about our own experiences and feelings that we have experienced. To connect to the importance of temple work, Pres. Benson said, "I believe the youth are not only willing and able to do genealogical research, but they are a good means of giving life to the whole program."
The last and sixth way that temples are so important to us is we need to understand that increased temple attendance leads to increased personal revelation. Pres. Benson teaches, "In the course of our visits to the temple, we are given insights into the meaning of the eternal journey of man. We see beautiful and impressive symbolism of the most important events - past, present, and future - symbolizing man's mission in relationship to God. We are reminded of our obligations as we make solemn covenants pertaining to obedience, consecration, sacrifice, and dedicated service to our Heavenly Father."
There are countless blessing awaiting us and those who have gone before us if we understand the importance of the temple and make it a priority to attend. "Let us make the temple a sacred home away from our eternal home."
