In April of 1980, President Gordon B.

Hinckley, the First Counselor in the First Presidency, stood at the

pulpit and held up two cards, one in each hand. The first was a bank credit card and President Hinckley
explained that its purpose was temporal, to open “the door to financial credit,” which can be useful
although not essential in day-to-day life. The second card was different. It was his temple recommend.
Unlike the first card, it was not temporal in nature. “This small document,” he said, “simple in its
appearance, certifies that the bearer has met certain precise and demanding qualifications and is eligible
to enter the House of the Lord and there participate in the most sacred ordinances administered
anywhere on earth. . . What a unique and remarkable thing is a temple recommend.”

A temple recommend is not simply a piece of paper; it reflects our willingness and worthiness to receive
the blessings of the temple.

It would please the Lord if every adult member would be worthy of—and carry—a current temple
recommend because we can’t participate in temple ordinances that ill enable us to return to the
presence of God.

The key to unlock the enormous blessings that come from temple service is the temple recommend but
for us to have this, we must:

 We must have faith in and a testimony of God the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the
Holy Ghost;
 Must testify of the Restoration of the gospel through the Church;
 Must sustain general authorities of the Church: the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles;
 We must obey God’s commandments and laws;
 And repent of our sins and are worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple
ordinances.

If we strive to be true and faithful to the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we will always be
temple worthy, and the Lord and His holy temples will be the great symbols of our discipleship.

The determination of worthiness is made by branch presidents, bishops, stake presidents, those who
hold priesthood keys associated with access to the temple. But we do have responsibility din which is to
have a desire to enter the temple, to be honest in our interview with our priesthood leaders, and then
with their help make any changes necessary to be worthy to enter the temple. Elder Quentin L. Cook
taught at general conference in April of 2016, that we should not see the temple as some distant and
perhaps unachievable goal.
Brothers and sisters, we need to be in the temple. And we need to be there often. We need to linger at
the temple. Important things have always happened in temples and always will. Making the personal
changes and sacrifices necessary to obtain a temple recommend are worth it so that we might enter the
place the Lord refers to as His house, a place that He has accepted, a place where He has placed His
name, a place where He has promised to “manifest myself to my people in mercy.” D&C 110:3-8. What a
blessing - a blessing a temple recommend allows us to claim. In addition, as more and more of us in the
Philippines qualify to receive a temple recommend, certainly the Lord will bless us with that which we all
greatly desire, even more temples where more of us can claim the greatest of His blessings.