Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Forty-Nine

“The Fountain of Living Waters” (1 Nephi 11:25)

The importance of water – “What is the most valuable substance or commodity in the world? We might initially think that gold, oil, or diamonds have the greatest worth. But of all the minerals, metals, gems, and solvents found on and in the earth, the most valuable is water.  Life springs from water. Life is sustained by water. Water is the medium required to perform the various functions associated with all known forms of life. Our physical bodies are approximately two-thirds water. Whereas a person can survive for many days or even weeks without food, an individual will usually die in only three or four days without water. Most of the world’s great centers of population are situated near sources of fresh water. Simply stated, life could not exist without the availability of and access to adequate supplies of clean water” (David A. Bednar, A Reservoir of Living Water, BYU Speeches, February 4, 2007).

I have an upfront seat on the importance and use of clean water – Fresh water wells and reservoirs are an important part of our business in Texas.  Our oil and gas related business includes brine stations where clean brine water is manufactured and sold.  Our water related business includes facilities where contaminated water is treated, recycled, or safely disposed of.  I am part of a company that measures water quality.  I am beginning to understand the great value and importance of clean water.

Clean water is important, but infinitely more so is Jesus Christ, the Fountain of Living Water – Living water is “a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings.  As water is essential to sustain physical life, the Savior and His teachings (living water) are essential for eternal life” (Guide to the Scriptures, Living Water).  “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). “But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life” (D&C 63:23).  Nephi wrote about Jesus being the Fountain of Living Water:  “And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life, which waters are a representation of the love of God” (1 Nephi 11:25).

Temples remind us that Jesus is our Fountain of Living Water – Most temples have either an indoor or outdoor fountain.  These fountains remind us that Jesus is our Fountain of Living Water.  Temple ordinances, covenants, and teachings all point us to Christ.  Everything about the temple reminds us of Him whose house it is.  The temple is the Lord’s university where we can get our PHD (peace, hope, and direction) by drinking freely of the Fountain of Living Waters, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. (The accompanying picture was taken December 29, 2022, at the Newport Beach California Temple after doing baptisms with three grandchildren, Nathan, Belle, and Maddie Rynearson and their father, Scott.  The temple fountain is behind the Nativity Scene.)