REXBURG, Idaho -- Holiness describes the very nature of God and everything that is Godlike, said Sister Susan W. Tanner, former General Young Women president of the LDS Church, during a devotional on Oct. 20 at BYU-Idaho.

She spoke with her husband, John, an academic vice president at BYU.

"I like being with him as a team. I fall in love with him all over again when I hear him speak," said Susan.

John and Susan spoke about being more holy, focusing on the words "Holiness to the Lord."

John explained that the phrase, "Holiness to the Lord," is on engraved on every temple, this phrase should also be engraved on every person as well.

"Heavenly Father does not expect his children merely to build temples, but to become temples ourselves," said Susan.

John continued by saying that he loves to see temples light up the sky at night. He said when you enter Rexburg on the west side, you can see the temple for miles, especially when it is lit up.

"When I see a temple lighting up the sky, it helps me remember what we should be: Beacons of light on a hill," said John.

John emphasized this statement by telling a story of his Aunt Agnes. He said that she was home bound but always kept a current recommend. One day John's sister visited her and noticed that the house looked brighter that day. She asked if the cleaning ladies had come that morning, but Aunt Agnes said they hadn't. Then she asked if Aunt Agnes had painted the walls recently only to hear that she hadn't. Finally, John's sister asked why the house looked brighter.

"My visiting teachers were able to take me to the temple this morning and I must have brought some of the light home with me," said Aunt Agnes.

John said that the light his sister saw was tangible, it was not just a feeling; it was real.

The couple spoke about how Zion is also called the City of Holiness (Moses 7:19). They spoke of the people in 4 Nephi who lived in peace and holiness for 100 years.

"It's astonishing to us that they could live 100 years without contention. When our family was first starting out, we had trouble going without contention for 24 hours," said John.

"Or two," added Susan.

There are two problems people may face when trying to become more holy, Susan explained.

The first is becoming sanctimonious. John explained this as a mixture of holiness with hypocrisy. He said that this is someone who pretends to be holy.

The second is becoming "holier than thou." John explained this as a mixture of holiness with pride. This way is never holy, John said.

The couple concluded their devotional speech by expressing that we need to worry more about becoming holy ourselves and not worrying about or judging others.

"We need, if we want to be holy, to look inward within our hearts and not down on our neighbors," said John.