A Formula for Laying Up Treasures

We have a tendency to create a complete dichotomy between treasures on earth and treasures in heaven. We look at the Sermon on the Mount (“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth… [but] in heaven” – Matthew 6:19-20), the Savior’s counsel to the rich young ruler (“Sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven” – Mark 10:21), and consider how it’s “easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25), and we conclude that our spirituality is inversely proportional to our bank ledgers. Not so!

The key is expressed in Mark 10:24: “How hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God” (emphasis mine). It is “the love of money [that] is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10, emphasis mine) – the problem is giving preeminent priority to the hoarding of worldly goods. The Nephite prophet Jacob explained the importance of placing our trust and love upon the Lord, and letting the worldly riches follow:

But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good–to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

Jacob 2:18-19

I haven’t decided if “ye will seek them” is prophecy or commandment. (Also, note that the list Jacob gives is very similar to the lists in King Benjamin’s address (Mosiah 4:26), the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matt 25:35-36), and “A Poor, Wayfaring Man of Grief” – I love that.)

Just be sure you don’t confuse spiritual and temporal prosperity, as did the friends of Job.

Elder Sill:

I heard somebody say it the other day that we don‘t pay people for what they do in the Church. And I thought how ridiculous can a person be? The fundamental law of the universe says that all labor must be paid for. You can no more do a good thing without some time, in some way, receiving a reward than you can do an evil thing without suffering a penalty.

We often don’t grasp that. We understand the second part – we can’t escape sin without facing punishment – but we ignore the first part. Some go so far as to convolute the two – “No good deed goes unpunished.” We don’t think of good deeds as good – they’re just not bad deeds. We’re not building up spiritual credit, we’re just not digging ourselves further into spiritual debt.

I think there’s a real danger lurking there. It sets up a lot of false opposites. We know that there must needs be opposition in all things, and in order for us to learn from that opposition, we need to understand the opposites. The opposite of Evil isn’t Nothing – it’s Good. The opposite of Sorrow isn’t Nothing – it’s Joy.

Similarly, we think of the Atonement as a power used to seek and grant forgiveness when we have sinned – it takes us from bad to neutral ground. But that's not all it does. Consider Ether 12:27. Christ tells us that as we come to Him in faith and humility, He will “make weak things become strong unto them.” As we seek to overcome our imperfections, we become perfect in Christ. We become Good. The Atonement has power not only to forgive, but to improve – line upon line, precept upon precept, until we become “a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

Elder Oaks spoke to this in “The Challenge to Become”:

The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts--what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts--what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.

A parable illustrates this understanding. A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the inheritance would probably be wasted. The father said to his child:

“All that I have I desire to give you--not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.”

Elder Sill expressed it thus:

Now in addition to what we might get out of it, that is, wealth isn’t so much what you have, it’s what you are. We don’t work merely to acquire, we work to become. Success in life isn’t what you can get out of it, it’s what you can become by it.

Many today want the shortcut – they want the end result, without having to put in the work and the labor and the sacrifice necessary to obtain those end results. Consider the parable of the Little Red Hen, here related by Elder Sill:

You remember that the Little Red Hen had a bag of wheat, and she decided to plant the wheat. Now that’s a good idea because wheat is worth more for planting than for any other purpose. If you eat wheat, you get one kernel for one kernel. If you plant wheat, you get a hundred kernels for one kernel. Now the Little Red Hen was a reasonable little red hen and she could see this basis for profit, and so she decided to plant the wheat. But she needed somebody to help her, and so she went around among her friends in the barnyard and said, “Who will help me plant my wheat?”

Well, for some reason, she couldn’t get anybody interested. She pointed out, I’m sure, this possibility of profit, but no one was interested. And so she did it herself. But when the wheat began to grow, she needed somebody to help her care for the wheat, and so again she went around, I suppose thinking that now that they could see this wheat growing and they knew the enterprise was going to be a success that maybe she could get them interested and I supposed again she pointed out this basis for increase, but to her despair, I suppose, nobody was interested. “Not I,” said the pig. “Not I,” said the goose. “Not I,” said the turkey. Nobody wanted to help.

But when the threshing time came, I suppose she reasoned that now that they could see this wheat that was growing, it was going to be successful, again she went around among her friends and again nobody was interested. She did the same thing at the threshing time and the grinding time and the baking time, and couldn’t get help without any result.

But when these cakes had been prepared, she again went around among her friends in the barnyard and said, “Who will help me eat my cakes?” And then she discovered that a wonderful thing had happened. Now, for some unknown reason, everybody wanted to be a part of the project. “I,” said the pig. “I,” said the goose. “I,” said the turkey. Everybody was enthusiastic now.

Now the Lord has a program just like that. He said, “Who will help me prepare to be the leaders in the Church, and in the world? Who will help me put knowledge and enthusiasm and faith into the lives of people? Who will help me give encouragement and understanding to those who need it worst?” Now sometimes we have difficulty in getting those ideas over and “Not I,” said Brother Sill. “Not I,” said Sister Jones. “Not I,” said Brother Smith.

Then, I suppose the Lord is going to some day say, “Who would like to live with me forever in the Celestial Kingdom? Who would like to enjoy the great prestige and honor and great life of a personage that has become even as God?” And then I suppose that we also are going to have a great change of heart. That is, when we stand before God, there isn’t one person in this audience who will not want to be a faithful, devoted, ardent, enthusiastic, industrious member of the church. But we have to make up our mind before that, because by that time, the harvest is over and the summer is past and our souls not saved.

The formula itself is simple: Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, and Habits. And the Personality of the leader.

It takes work to lay up treasures in heaven, but it can be done. “He that thrusteth in his sickle with his might layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul.” (D&C 4:4, emphasis mine) Just make sure your heart’s in the right place as you labor, and you’ll make it.

“A Formula for Laying Up Treasures” by Elder Sterling W. Sill
BYU Devotional, October 3, 1960

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Remember Lot’s Wife

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke at BYU on the importance of looking forward instead of focusing on the past.

The start of a new year is the traditional time to take stock of our lives and see where we are going, measured against the backdrop of where we have been. I don’t want to talk to you about New Year’s resolutions, because you only made five of them and you have already broken four. (I give that remaining one just another week.) But I do want to talk to you about the past and the future, not so much in terms of New Year’s commitments per se, but more with an eye toward any time of transition and change in your lives—and those moments come virtually every day of our lives.

Lot’s wife’s sin wasn’t in looking back; it was in wanting to go back. Instead of hearkening to the word of the Lord which told her to go forward, she yearned to return to Sodom and Gomorrah.

So, as a new year starts and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.

Elder Holland speaks of how the Apostle Paul left everything behind to follow Christ. He shares the poem of Miniver Cheevy, by Edwin Arlington Robinson, and the story of a young man who left his hometown to do something great, only to be torn down by his peers when he returned. He changed, but they refused to see the change in him.

He also speaks passionately about forgiving ourselves, and especially others.

When something is over and done with, when it has been repented of as fully as it can be repented of, when life has moved on as it should and a lot of other wonderfully good things have happened since then, it is not right to go back and open up some ancient wound that the Son of God Himself died trying to heal.

Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is it charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past, leave it buried.…

[Dwelling] on past lives, including past mistakes, is just not right! It is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“It is not right to go back and open up some ancient wound that the Son of God Himself died trying to heal.” Powerful.

“What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” –Acts 10:15.

Many repented of a rambunctious youth and went on to serve the Lord in righteousness, including Paul, Alma, Alma the Younger, the sons of Mosiah, the Anti-Nephi-Lehis, and Moses (sort of).

“Remember Lot’s Wife” by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
BYU Devotional, January 13, 2009

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Moral Discipline

When Elder Christofferson spoke at our stake conference in February 2008, little did we know that he would be called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles just two months later. Little were we surprised that he was.

Speaking of societies’ failure to teach the rising generation moral values:

As a consequence, self-discipline has eroded and societies are left to try to maintain order and civility by compulsion. The lack of internal control by individuals breeds external control by governments. One columnist observed that “gentlemanly behavior [for example, once] protected women from coarse behavior. Today, we expect sexual harassment laws to restrain coarse behavior. . . .

“Policemen and laws can never replace customs, traditions and moral values as a means for regulating human behavior. At best, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we’ve become.” (Walter Williams, “Laws Are a Poor Substitute for Common Decency, Moral Values,” Deseret News, April 29, 2009)

On the parental responsibility to teach their children:

I have heard a few parents state that they don’t want to impose the gospel on their children but want them to make up their own minds about what they will believe and follow. They think that in this way they are allowing children to exercise their agency. What they forget is that the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth, of things as they really are (see D&C 93:24). Without that, young people can hardly be expected to understand and evaluate the alternatives that come before them. Parents should consider how the adversary approaches their children. He and his followers are not promoting objectivity but are vigorous, multimedia advocates of sin and selfishness.

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Religious Freedom

On October 13, 2009, Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke on Religious Freedom at BYU-Idaho.

The inherent conflict between the precious religious freedom of the people and the legitimate regulatory responsibilities of the government is the central issue of religious freedom.

For reference, the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

We tend to just hear about the first clause – “no law respecting an establishment of religion” – and ignore the “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” There is obviously a balance between the two clauses, but neither can be protected at the expense of the other.

Religious belief is obviously protected against government action. The practice of that belief must have some limits, as I suggested earlier. But unless the guarantee of free exercise of religion gives a religious actor greater protection against government prohibitions than are already guaranteed to all actors by other provisions of the constitution (like freedom of speech), what is the special value of religious freedom? Surely the First Amendment guarantee of free exercise of religion was intended to grant more freedom to religious action than to other kinds of action. Treating actions based on religious belief the same as actions based on other systems of belief should not be enough to satisfy the special place of religion in the United States Constitution. (Emphasis in original.)

Elder Oaks concludes with five points of council how Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves to enhance religious freedom in this period of turmoil and challenge:

1. We must speak with love, always showing patience, understanding and compassion toward our adversaries.
2. We must not be deterred or coerced into silence by … intimidation.
3. We must insist on our freedom to preach the doctrines of our faith.
4. We must nevertheless be wise in our political participation.
5. We must be careful never to support or act upon the idea that a person must subscribe to some particular set of religious beliefs in order to qualify for a public office. Wise religious leaders and members will never advocate religious tests for public office.

In that fifth point, it totally sounds like he’s talking about Mitt Romney. He continues:

If a candidate is seen to be rejected at the ballot box primarily because of religious belief or affiliation, the precious free exercise of religion is weakened at its foundation, especially when this reason for rejection has been advocated by other religionists. Such advocacy suggests that if religionists prevail in electing their preferred candidate this will lead to the use of government power in support of their religious beliefs and practices. The religion of a candidate should not be an issue in a political campaign.

“Religious Freedom” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks
BYU-Idaho Devotional, October 13, 2009

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Transcript of “Why 1820?”

I spent a week of personal study on my mission transcribing Restoration of the Church. Thought I'd share.

As noted in the PDF, Elder Boyd K. Packer has disavowed the story with President McKay (“There were no captains here tonight.”) and the associated doctrine. Guess it's just a faith-promoting rumor. :)

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Restoration of the Church, or Why 1820?

In this talk, also known as “Why 1820?” (transcript), Hyrum W. Smith shares his testimony of why the Lord had to wait almost 2,000 years before restoring His church.

This talk-tape was a favorite on my mission, and it took me forever to track it down in BYU-Idaho's devotionals archives.

“Restoration of the Church” by Hyrum W. Smith
Devotional at Ricks College, 27 September 1988.

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Principles from Prophets

President Monson shares his memories of the Presidents of the Church has has personally known, from Heber J. Grant to Gordon B. Hinckley.

My favorite story: David O. McKay's portrait of his childhood home.

Principles From Prophets, by President Thomas S. Monson
BYU Devotional, September 15, 2009

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