Building a Testimony

Instructions: Cut off the door-hanger part of this page, mount it on lightweight cardboard, and cut it out. Hang it on a doorknob in your bedroom to remind you of the things you need to do to have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

President Hinckley Shows Us the Way

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I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise (D&C 82:10).

Do you see the scripture at the top of the page? It means that when you ask Heavenly Father for something that is right, He promises to help you if you have obeyed His commandments.

Now, how can you obey His commandments if you don’t know what they are? You can’t—and so you won’t receive the blessings that come from obeying them. It is important, therefore, to learn what they are.

A most important way to learn what the Lord wants you to know and do is by listening to His servant, the prophet, who speaks for Him.

Listen to President Hinckley carefully during the general conferences of the Church each April and October. Here is some of his counsel to you in three conference sessions last April:

1 “Go forward, returning good for evil, being helpful and kind and generous. I remind you of the teachings of our Lord concerning these matters. … Let us be good people. Let us be friendly people. Let us be neighborly people. Let us be what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ought to be.”

2 “Whether it be going into the mission field, living the Word of Wisdom, paying one’s tithing, it is all the same. It is the faith within us that is evidenced [shown] in all we do. …

“Faith is the basis of testimony. Faith underlies loyalty to the Church. Faith represents sacrifice, gladly given in moving forward the work of the Lord.

“The Lord has commanded us to take upon ourselves ‘the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to [defend yourselves against] the wicked’ (D&C 27:17).”

3 “These conferences are held … to strengthen our testimonies … , to fortify us against temptation and sin, to lift our sights. …

“Let us go forth from this conference with a stronger resolve to live the gospel, to be more faithful, to be better … sons and daughters. …

“This is God’s holy work. … Jesus Christ stands at its head. He is our immortal Savior and Redeemer. His revelation is the source of our doctrine, our faith, our teaching. …

“Our individual testimonies of these truths are the basis of our faith. We must nurture them [help them grow]. … We can never lay them aside. Without them we have nothing. With them we have everything.” ^*

Filed under: Lesson 20: The Teachings of Jesus Christ Are a Great Treasure, Primary 2: Choose the Right A, Building a Testimony, Faith is the basis of testimony, Lesson 20: The Teachings of Jesus Christ Are a Great Treasure, President Hinckley, shield of faith

Temple Dot to Dot

Who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart (Ps. 24:3–4).

 

“New Temples,” Friend, Jan 2002, 40

Who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart (Ps. 24:3–4).

President Hinckley wants all worthy Church members to have temple blessings. He feels bad that members who live far away cannot go to the temple often. He said that these people “make tremendous sacrifices to visit the temples. They travel for days … in cheap buses and on old boats. They save their money and do without to make it all possible.”*

He and his counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles prayed to know how they could help more people participate in temple work. The prophet said that “the answer … came bright and clear.”† Heavenly Father told them to build many small temples all over the world instead of only a few large ones. President Hinckley has dedicated close to seventy temples.

Seeing new temples built makes President Hinckley happy because temples bring blessings. In 1985, he traveled to Mexico City for the temple dedication there. He had visited Mexico before, and he remembered how poor some of the people were. This didn’t stop them from coming to the temple dedication, smiling brightly and dressed in their best clothing. They knew that they would be blessed because a temple had been built in their country. President Hinckley was impressed by their joy. He said, “What a wonderfully uplifting experience it was to be with them and to witness the miraculous power of God in their lives.”‡

Temples bring blessings because there we are taught more about Heavenly Father’s plan. We participate in ordinances and make covenants; the Holy Ghost strengthens us as we obey. We can help in the building of more temples by paying a full tithing and by living the gospel.

Filed under: Temple, President Hinckley, temple, temple coloring page, temple dot to dot