"Of Him Unto Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required"
Sister Sue Clark
January 15, 2008
The Rexburg Temple Open House comes at the beginning of a new year and a new semester. The Open House has brought a wonderful spirit of warmth and light onto campus during this gray, wintry January. We are very richly blessed. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for our Heavenly Father's notice of us in granting us His glorious blessings.
Heavenly Father's notice of us began with the announcement that a temple would be built in Rexburg. Since that announcement the Lord has poured out blessings upon us as we have watched that beautiful House of the Lord come to sit on the hill overlooking our campus.
We have felt the Spirit at the groundbreaking event and when we gathered to watch the mounting of the angel. From the very first lighting of the steeple to the final exterior lighting and landscaping that we see today, we have stood in awe at the beauty and majesty of the House of the Lord.
And now as we volunteer to organize, clean, usher, guide, direct, and serve during the Open House, we feel personally and directly the blessing of the Lord on this spectacular final preparation of the temple for the dedication. I hope that all of you will participate in the Open House and feel the spirit inside the temple. It will be a marvelous blessing!
In Doctrine and Covenants, chapter 82, verse 3, we read: "For of him unto whom much is given much is required."
And so in addition to recognizing our Father in Heaven's notice of us in blessing us with this temple, we need to be aware of His notice to us!
In Doctrine and Covenants, chapter 41, verse 1, the Lord said:
"Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all blessings."
Hearken and hear!! Do we hearken to what the Lord is saying to us? Do we hear His notice to us?
In December of 2007, the First Presidency sent a letter to all the stake presidents and bishops in the Rexburg Temple District and asked them to read the letter in sacrament meetings. That letter was the Lord's notice to all Church members in the temple district to prepare our hearts and minds for the dedication of the Rexburg Temple. The First Presidency asked us to cleanse our lives of anything that is displeasing to the Lord, to rid our hearts of feelings of envy or enmity, and to seek forgiveness for anything that is amiss in our lives.
We have been called to repentance, brothers and sisters. This is as powerful as the call by any prophet at any time. Think of Moses, Noah, Peter, and Paul. Think of Nephi, Samuel the Lamanite, and Abinadi. We read those stories and we see the consequences when the notice to the people is not heeded! And we see the great power of redemption when it is. Through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can be cleansed from sin and receive strength and power to overcome our mistakes and weaknesses.
Let us take note of this call to repentance! Let us take note of it very, very seriously!
As we do so, we will invite the Spirit of the Lord to bless the dedication and the opening of the temple with power, wonder, and glory!
I pray that all of us will be inspired to know what we need to change in our lives to prepare for the dedication. I know that we have access to the powers of Heaven to help us make those changes.
Heavenly Father knows us each individually, by name. He desires to bless us. I know that in the strength of the Lord, we can do all things. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.