I
had been looking forward to teaching this lesson for along time. Temporal Salvation is a great
topic. However, as I actually sat
down and read over the material, I could feel myself getting grouchy
eyebrows. I thought, I can’t teach
with grouchy eyebrows! They won ‘t
look good with my outfit.
Even
more importantly, though, as I was feeling stirred up about certain topics in
the lesson, I couldn’t focus or feel the spirit as I prepared. Who scheduled this during the election
week, anyway?
The
election has left a lot of people with high emotions. In this lesson, it is never my intention to offend anyone—and
if I make a political reference, I speak not of individuals, but of pervasive,
long-term issues. I imagine that
for you, like me, much of the stress around the election comes from prophecies
about the last days, and about this land in particular.
In
his talk, Hope You Know We Had a Hard
Time, Elder Cook stated:
“In numerous places in the Book of Mormon,
the people were promised that they would prosper in the land if they would keep
the commandments. This promise is often accompanied by the warning that if they do
not keep the commandments of God, they shall be cut off from His presence. Clearly, having the blessings of the Spirit—the
ministration of the Holy Ghost—is
an essential element to truly prosper in the land and to be prepared.”
Similarly, in his conference talk Faith through Tribulation Brings Peace and
Joy, Elder Hales said,
“We are living through
turbulent times. A great storm of evil has come upon the earth. The winds of
wickedness howl about us; the waves of war beat against our ship. As Paul wrote
to Timothy: “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy, … Having a form of godliness; but denying the
power thereof.
As we look into
the eyes of our children and grandchildren, we see the doubt and fear of our
times. Wherever these precious ones go in the world, they hear about
unemployment, poverty, war, immorality, and crime. They wonder, “How can we
cope with these problems?””
I know my children were very aware of this election, as were their
peers at school. From what I hear,
I think those students whose parents voted in the minority had a bit of a rough
time for a few days. I know there
was a lot of stress in our house on Election Day. My little McKay sobbed himself to sleep, pausing only long
enough to say, “Well, at least dad has guns!”
President
Hales continues,
“To find answers,
they look back into our eyes and listen to our words. Do they hear us speaking
faithfully and hopefully, despite the tribulations of our times?
They need to see
us continuing to pray and study the scriptures together, to hold family home
evening and family councils, to serve faithfully in our Church callings, to
attend the temple regularly, and to be obedient to our covenants. When they see
our steadfastness in keeping the commandments, their fears will subside and
their confidence in the Lord will increase.
By showing our faith through
tribulation, we assure them that the fury of the adversary is not fatal. Jesus
prayed to His Father on our behalf: “Not that thou shouldest take them out of
the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” That prayer will be answered in Heavenly Father’s time and season,
according to our faith.”
Elder Hales also said,
“It is true that ominous
clouds gather around us, but just as the Savior’s words brought peace to the
Apostles in the boat, they bring peace to us today: “And when ye shall hear of
wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be;
but the end shall not be yet.” “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.””
There are so many topics we could cover—avoiding
debt, saving, food storage, guarding our resources, growing food, etc. I can’t cover everything I would like,
so I will summarize these topics by saying, “if we are wise with our means, we
will be prepared for hard times.”
President GAS said:
“We may have hard times,
brothers and sisters, but we can be prepared for them, if we think of the seven
years of plenty and the seven years of famine in the days of Pharaoh and plan
as they did. Such conditions may
come again. We do not know, but we do know that in the early days of the Church
the Presidency and leadership of the Church advised the people to store
sufficient food to meet an emergency. The result has been that since the people
got thoroughly settled here and farms began producing, and herds and flocks
increasing, there has been no real necessity for anybody to suffer for food.”
What a great promise.
I would be surprised if any of us here has truly known hunger. To hear my son, McKay, on Fast Sunday,
you would think he hadn’t eaten for weeks. When told we are fasting, he shrieks, “But I’m absolutely
starving.” I’m thinking, “but we
just started fasting an hour ago.”
One of my friends posted a video called “First World Problems”. It shows one person collapsing in
despair because they bought too many groceries and they have to make two trips,
and another lambasting Apple for the burden of having to buy yet another version
of iPhone. So, for us, I believe a
lot of our temporal welfare is about perspective.
And
yet, we do have uncertainty. President
Smith said:
We are living in perilous
times. The scriptures are being fulfilled, and as it appears to me this is the
particular time when, if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived. It
is remarkable how easy it is for those who desire to advance their financial
interests in the world to find a reason for setting aside the plain teachings of
the Lord with reference to our lives. And it is strange to me how many people
fall into the habit of listening to those who say things that are contrary to
the revealed will of our Heavenly Father. …
This statement seems so applicable to today,
although it was probably given over 50 years ago. Today, We live in circumstances with a troubled global
economy. Many more people struggle with finances today who didn’t in better
times.
Elder Cook said:
The challenges we
face today are in their own way comparable to challenges of the past. The
recent economic crisis has caused significant concern throughout the world.
Employment and financial problems are not unusual. Many people have physical
and mental health challenges. Others deal with marital problems or wayward
children. Some have lost loved ones. Addictions and inappropriate or harmful
propensities cause heartache. Whatever the source of the trials, they cause
significant pain and suffering for individuals and those who love them.
Our
challenge is in how we meet these troubled times.
“In the early
1930’s, Elder Smith, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
addressed the Relief Society during another time of desperate need—the Great
Depression. He taught that helping those in need goes beyond providing temporal
assistance; it also requires true kindness and charity:”
“There never has
been a time, in my judgment, when kindness was needed more than now. These are
the days when people’s souls are being tried, and when their hearts are being
wrung. These are the days when many are facing hunger and distress even among
the Latter-day Saints. …”
“… I believe our
Heavenly Father is giving us our opportunity for development. … We will
discover now whether the love the Savior said should be in our hearts is among
us.”
It is interesting that President Smith considered
hard times as an opportunity for development. Not everyone sees things that way.
A few weeks ago during Ward Conference, Brother
Hanks referred to the psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and
asked how we can increase our spirituality when, in this economy, we may be
struggling to meet our basic needs.
I’ve thought about that since then, and came to the conclusion that
Maslow is coming from an entirely temporal mindset. For those with a spiritual mindset, this hierarchy can, in
some ways, essentially be set on its head.
For example, in Indian religions, those who are
seeking enlightenment forgo basically all of the needs on Maslow’s list, living
in caves, subsisting on little food, and sometimes not even speaking for years.
Likewise, Elder Hales details in his talk how
Christ, throughout his life, and especially in the last week, endured terrible
deprivations, humiliation and agony.
And yet, this was also the pinnacle of his spiritual service,
testifying, healing, and intense prayer.
Elder Hales says, “In His darkest hour, the
light of peace and joy did not fade.
It grew brighter.”
From these teachings, we can see that we need not
fear, and also that we can faith during hard times.
In his talk, Elder Hales recounts the story of the
Brother of Jared, as he took the initiative to prepare stones to light the
ships prior to crossing the sea.
He teaches,
“As parents and
leaders, we must remember that “it is not meet that [the Lord] should command
in all things.” Like the brother of Jared, we must carefully consider the needs of
our family members, make a plan to meet those needs, and then take our plan to
the Lord in prayer. This will require faith and effort on our part, but He will
help us as we seek His assistance and do His will.
After his experience with the
Lord, the brother of Jared continued to diligently prepare himself for the
journey ahead. So too must we hearken to the teachings of our prophets. The
living prophets have counseled us time and again to put our lives in order—to
eliminate debt, to store food and other essential items, to pay our tithing, to obtain
appropriate education, and to live the commandments. Have we obeyed these
essential instructions?”
Now we come to that part of the lesson that gets me riled up, so watch
out for the grouchy eyebrows.
The
Lord has directed us to work to earn our own livelihood.
I
applaud President Erza Taft Benson when he says,
“I bear you my testimony that
President Heber J. Grant was inspired of the Lord in establishing the Church Welfare program. The First Presidency was
inspired when they made the first public announcement in 1936 and declared the
prime purpose of Church welfare was “to help the people help themselves”.”
President Benson goes on to say,
“We encourage you
to be more self-reliant so that, as the Lord has declared, “notwithstanding the
tribulation which shall descend upon you, … the church may stand independent
above all other creatures beneath the celestial world” The Lord wants us to be
independent and self-reliant because these will be days of tribulation. He has
warned and forewarned us of the eventuality.
President Brigham Young said,
“If you are without bread, how much wisdom can you boast, and of what real
utility are your talents, if you cannot procure for yourselves and save against
a day of scarcity those substances designed to sustain your natural lives?”
Adding to the previous testaments about the
doctrine of work and self-reliance, President Smith declared,
“I thank God for work, for
the joy that comes from doing things in the world. I am not indicating any
particular kind of employment except that it be honorable. But the Lord has
indicated that we should be industrious. In ancient times he said that we
should earn our living by the sweat of our face.”
And President Benson affirms,
“One of the first principles
revealed to father Adam when he was driven out of the Garden of Eden was this:
“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the
ground” All we obtain in life of a material nature comes as a product of labor
and the providence of God. Work alone produces life’s necessities.”
I am a firm believer in the value of work, and yet
it is not a value that is held, anymore, by much of America, and indeed the
world. Instead, we have a cultural of laziness, and I find it is proving very
hard to teach my children to value work.
President Smith warns,
“The very fact
that so much money has been made available to many people gives the youth in
some instances the feeling that because money comes relatively easy, honest
toil is not necessary or desirable. And yet I am satisfied that no people have
ever lived upon the earth who, having failed to earn their livelihood by
integrity and industry, have not gone to decay.
If our children grow up in
idleness, we know that this is displeasing to the Lord.”
Even though it is an uphill battle, even though
the momentum is towards thinking it is okay to let other provide for you, it is
essential that we continue to teach the value of work and self-reliance.
President Smith said,
“We must not fall
into the bad habits of other people. We must not get into the frame of mind
that we will take what the other man has. Refer back to the ten commandments,
and you will find one short paragraph, “Thou shalt not covet.” …
We must not get into that
frame of mind. Others may do that, but if we have the spirit of the gospel of
Jesus Christ in our hearts, we
will not be deceived in that regard.”
I
believe that the true crisis is not with a specific president, but that the
government and the people HAVE been deceived in that regard, increasingly over
a long downward spiral.
Just
so that there is no question about what the Lord expects, let me again quote
President Smith,
“Our Heavenly Father … said
long, long ago there were idlers in Zion, … and he said, “He that is idle shall
not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.” I am assuming that he
did not mean those who cannot find employment, and who are legitimately trying
to take care of themselves. I am assuming that he referred to the habit some
people get into of leaning upon their neighbor. … I feel that there has been no
justification given to any man in this world to feel that he can depend on
somebody else to provide him a livelihood. I did not feel when I was a child
that somebody would be compelled to provide me a means of living. The Lord gave
me intelligence. He directed that I should work, and I began to work when I was
twelve years of age, and I found joy in it, and have earned my living and
helped others during more than fifty years.”
And President Benson:
“More than ever before, we
need to learn and apply the principles of economic self-reliance. We do not
know when the crisis involving sickness or unemployment may affect our own
circumstances. We do know that the Lord has decreed global calamities for the
future and has warned and forewarned us to be prepared. For this reason the
Brethren have repeatedly stressed a “back to basics” program for temporal and
spiritual welfare.
Unfortunately, there has been
fostered in the minds of some an expectation that when we experience hard
times, when we have been unwise and extravagant with our resources and have
lived beyond our means, we should look to either the Church or government to
bail us out. Forgotten by some of our members is an underlying principle of the
Church welfare plan that “no true Latter-day Saint will, while physically able,
voluntarily shift from himself the burden of his own support”
Clearly, God expects us to work to provide for
ourselves. Why? What happens to us when we feel like it
is someone else’s obligation to solve our problems or bail us out?
·
Such attitudes bring on resentment of others,
which chases the spirit away.
o
President Smith taught, “I hope we are not going
to become bitter because some men and women are well-to-do.”
o
Do we see this? YES!
·
We give away our personal power, self-esteem and
opportunities for personal growth when we expect someone else to solve our
problems.
·
We come to feel like we have a right to certain
things.
·
Examples
o
Single mom’s expensive dinner with no tip-eating
out is a right.
o
Rising Star
§ Complain about
saris
§ No handouts
§ Lady with turkey
§ The lepers built
a retirement home for the elderly lepers.
In D&C 56:17, the Lord condemns those (the
poor, or the idle) who covet the riches of others:
“Wo unto you poor men, whose
hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are
not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s
goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own
hands!”
Now we come to the other side of the coin. In D&C 56:16, he ALSO condemns
those (the rich man, or the laborer), who covet or are greedy with THEIR OWN
riches:
“Wo unto you rich men, that
will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your
souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of
judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my
soul is not saved!
The Lord has made it clear that we are expected to
share our substance with those in need.
3 Nephi 24:8 reads,
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have
robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
On this subject, President Smith taught:
“The Lord has given us the
privilege of contributing one-tenth of our interest, for His Church, for the development
of His work in the world. Those who pay their tithing receive their blessing. …
We cannot expect to earn blessings without earnest effort. We will be required
to make what appears to some to be sacrifices. I suppose people think when they
pay their tithing that they are making a sacrifice, but they are not; they are
making a real investment that will return an eternal dividend. Our Heavenly
Father gives us all that we have. He places all in our hands, authorizing us to
retain for our own use nine-tenths of it, and then He asks that we put His
tenth where He directs, where He knows it will accomplish the most good in
developing His Church.”
God loves all of his children. He desires their welfare and
happiness. Therefore, we know that
He has provided sufficiently that, if we are generous with our means, there is
no need for anyone to go with out.
President Smith said,
“There is no
necessity for any man, woman, or child in the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints to go without, for the Church is organized to help those who
lack the necessities of life. There is plenty for all, and to spare. … God has
permitted men to get wealth, and if they obtained it properly, it is theirs,
and he will bless them in its use if they will use it properly.
We are becoming so wrapped up
with the world that we forget the people who are suffering that we could help,
in many cases.”
Let me leave you with the admonition of President
Smith:
Let us …
look around us in our neighborhood—not leave it to the Bishop and the Relief
Society, but let each of us be ministers of loving kindness to those who will
need us so much. If we will …
impart of our substance even though it may be but the widow’s mite, we will
obtain from him who lives on high the blessings we need in our day here upon
the earth, and when the time comes for us to go hence we will find awaiting us
the blessing of a loving Father who has appreciated the efforts we have put
forth.
