Let Us Go Up – 2 Nephi 12:2-3

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
(2 Nephi 12:2-3, Isaiah 2:2-3)

Isaiah expresses such great joy in these verses, such eager anticipation. Many people from all nations, he says, will not only ascend to God’s house, but will invite others to come with them: “Come ye, and let us go up,” they will say.

And what is the attraction of this mountain? Why do the people want to go? Because it is the source of the word of the Lord, which leads them to positive action. They learn of His ways so that they can walk in His paths. At the top of the mountain, they are empowered to do better and to be better.

The teachings they receive in God’s house are their motivation to ascend, but I think that the effort they make to climb the mountain is part of the transformational benefit of the experience. The effort they expend strengthens them and helps them to be prepared for the training they will receive at the top of the mountain.

After telling several remarkable stories about people who made great sacrifices to attend the temple, President Thomas S. Monson provided the following counsel:

Some degree of sacrifice has ever been associated with temple building and with temple attendance. Countless are those who have labored and struggled in order to obtain for themselves and for their families the blessings which are found in the temples of God.
Why are so many willing to give so much in order to receive the blessings of the temple? Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings. There are never too many miles to travel, too many obstacles to overcome, or too much discomfort to endure. They understand that the saving ordinances received in the temple that permit us to someday return to our Heavenly Father in an eternal family relationship and to be endowed with blessings and power from on high are worth every sacrifice and every effort (“The Holy Temple—a Beacon to the World,” General Conference, April 2011).

Today, I will remember the blessings we can receive by ascending to “the mountain of the Lord’s house.” I will find time in my schedule to attend the temple in the coming weeks and months, and I will also encourage others to attend. I will remember that the blessings of temple service more than compensate for the sacrifices required to attend.