“Words of the Living Prophet,” Liahona, May 2001, 16
Words of the Living Prophet
Importance of Temples
“Every temple that this Church has built has in effect stood as a monument to our belief in the immortality of the human soul, that this phase of mortal life through which we pass is part of a continuous upward climb, so to speak, and that as certain as there is life here, there will be life there. That is our firm belief. It comes about through the Atonement of the Savior, and the temple becomes, as I have indicated, the bridge from this life to the next. The temple is concerned with things of immortality. We wouldn’t have to build a temple for marriages if we didn’t believe in the eternity of the family. We build it so that family may be eternal. All of the ordinances which take place in the house of the Lord become expressions of our belief in that fundamental and basic doctrine. The temple therefore becomes the ultimate in our system of worship and therefore is of great and significant importance to us.”1
Be True to the Lord
“Be true to the Lord. He is your strength. He is your salvation. It is He who can bless you. It is He who desires to bless you. Look to Him for every gift and grace and blessing. Get on your knees and pray and stand on your feet and do His will and put your trust and faith in Him, and God will bless you. I make that promise as His servant.”2
Do Not Become a Weak Link
“You are a part of the great processes of God under which men and women have gone before you. All that you have of body and mind will be transmitted through you to the generations yet to come, and it is so important, so everlastingly important, my brothers and sisters, that you do not become a weak link in that chain of your generations.”3
Catastrophes across the World
“I don’t know the reason for many of the catastrophes [across the world], but I do know this, that the God of Heaven has imposed upon us as Christians the responsibility to look after those who become the victims of these terrible disasters. … If we are followers of the Christ, we will follow Him in doing what He would have us do as His followers in our daily living.”4
Revelation Is a Process
“The things of God are understood by the Spirit of God. That is the premise on which you start. You don’t get revelation when you are denying the power of God. The Lord said, ‘If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself’ (John 7:17). Those are His words. Revelation is a process that comes … in various forms and in various ways. I can say without any hesitation, not the slightest, that I know within my heart that the Lord has made known His will in many things. … In all of the tremendous numbers of things with which we constantly deal, hundreds of them, thousands of them really, across the Church, we pray about them. We ponder them. We consult with one another. We reach a decision. We act. There isn’t any doubt in my mind that that decision is inspired. That is revelation in one of its forms.”5
Priesthood of God
“In this Church every worthy man may hold the priesthood of God. Every worthy man may speak in the name of God, the Lord, even the Savior of the world. Every man may serve in the governance of the Church. Every man may place his hands upon the heads of his wife and children and bless them. What a marvelous thing it is. What a great thing we have to offer the world.”6
Move Forward
“You are on the fast track of a great church that’s moving forward, and you’ve got to keep up with it. You’ve got to live up to it, to its teachings, and help it move forward. Your obligation in terms of your responsibility in this Church is as great as is my obligation in terms of my responsibility in moving this work forward.”7
Photograph of President Hinckley by Jed Clark
The Eternal Family through Christ, by Judith Mehr