Brief Summary
Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s message invites us to make the temple a more meaningful part of our discipleship. He teaches that the house of the Lord is a place of spiritual safety, healing, forgiveness and eternal belonging, where we draw closer to Jesus Christ and strengthen our covenant relationships.
Key quotes and points to ponder
‘In a world of commotion, contention, and cares, the Lord invites us to a place of spiritual safety, harmony, and holiness—the house of the Lord.’ (Paragraph 3)
In what ways is the house of the Lord a place of spiritual safety, harmony and holiness?
‘God’s redeeming work is majestic in its sweep and reach. As the Prophet Joseph Smith saw in vision, every person, except a very few, is saved in a kingdom of glory. We can inherit a glorified, paradisiacal earth and live in the highest degree of celestial glory with God our Father and Jesus Christ.’ (Paragraph 9)
How does this make you feel?
‘Agency, faith and repentance, and Jesus Christ’s Atonement make change and forgiveness possible.’ (Paragraph 11)
What is the relationship between our agency, repentance, the Atonement of Jesus Christ and temple covenants?
‘Please do not deliberately delay the spiritual peace and joyful freedom Jesus Christ wants you to have now.’ (Paragraph 13)
What prevents me from attending the temple as often as I could?
‘Today, as temples come closer in many places, we can manifest the precious spirit of temple sacrifice in new ways. We can come to the temple more often. We can search and bring more family names to bless deceased loved ones. As the seasons of our lives allow, we can regularly serve in the Lord’s house, both as temple patron and as temple ordinance worker.’ (Paragraph 22)
Do I think of temple attendance as a privilege, an obligation or a source of joy? Why?
‘Whatever generation you are in the Church, in the chain of your eternal family, please be a strong link.’ (Paragraph 28)
What does this mean?
Invitations
‘Please do not deliberately delay the spiritual peace and joyful freedom Jesus Christ wants you to have now.’ (Paragraph 13)
What prevents me from attending the temple as often as I could?
‘…let us celebrate and treasure even more the spiritual blessings temples bring.’ (Paragraph 19)
‘Dear brothers and sisters, come worship and rejoice with the Lord in the house of the Lord, in temple doctrine and in your own personal temple culture.’ (Paragraph 32)
Application
What can I change in my life so that the blessings and spirit of the Lord’s house become more evident in the way I live and love?
You can watch Elder Gong’s talk here.
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