Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 11. This section is given to Joseph's brother Hyrum Smith. The majority of this section is about missionary work and the proper order of things. There are many sections in the Doctrine and Covenants that deal with missionary work, because missionary work was a hot topic during the life of Joseph Smith. At that time, the field truly was white and ready to harvest.
A couple of verses stood out to me. The first one was verse 21 where the Lord tells Hyrum to seek not to declare the word, but first seek to obtain the word. Now, you would think that this would be intuitive and yet, the Lord felt the need to spell it out for us. So it got me thinking, how do we try and declare the word without first obtaining it? The first thing that came to mind is anytime we have a discussion about the gospel. What is it about competition that drives some people to do really crazy and insane things? It doesn't matter what the competition is about either, including the scriptures.
Have you ever been in a discussion with someone about a particular scripture and you know for a fact that the verse reads a certain way because you just recently read it, but the other person is still insistent it reads a different way? Yeah, I have too. This could be an instance of obtaining the word before declaring it. Another way is when we are called upon to teach a class in church. Yes, the most important thing to do is to ask for the Spirit's guidance and help to teach the lesson in question. But it is folly to ask for the Spirit's help in teaching a lesson that we have not prepared for. Now, it can happen that the Spirit will help you anyway, remember it is up to the Lord to help us or not as He sees fit when we haven't done what He has asked of us.
This lesson doubly applies to missionaries. How can a missionary spread the good news of the gospel if they do not know what the good news is? Obviously they cannot. Many, many missionaries can tell you instances where they were at a loss of what to say to someone and then the Spirit whispered to them what to say, including me. I could tell you of a time when it happened to me. However, it is very unlikely to happen if you do not have the knowledge already there for the Spirit to bring to your mind. It can most certainly happen, but it is very unlikely I think.
The second verse that jumped out to me is verse 7 where God tells us to seek not for riches but for wisdom. How many of us unknowingly, or perhaps knowingly, set our heart upon riches? I remember at my last job, I was not making a lot of money, but it was enough for my family's needs. I can remember, without even searching my memory, 4 different instances where someone asked me why I was doing that job. How with a degree in Mandarin Chinese like I have, I could go work for a Fortune 500 company and be making 3 times what I was earning there without even trying very hard. Every time they would ask me that, my response would be the same. I would say that while that was true, I enjoyed doing what I was doing and that I enjoyed doing the job and that my family was there and that to earn that kind of money, you have to give up things, usually family time. And I am not willing to give up family time.
Usually after I would give my answer to those people, I would get a blank look or a sad smile and a shake of their head as they thought to themselves how foolish I am. And perhaps it is foolish, but there are more important things in this life than being wealthy. I remember when I first started college I had an idea to double major in Chinese and business and go into international business. Then one day we had a seminar where a person who had spent 20 years or so in international business came to speak to us and he talked about all the traveling he had gotten to do, but he also talked about how little he had gotten to see his family, which is why he eventually quit and got a teaching job. I made up my mind then and there that family was more important to me and so I stopped taking business courses and focused on finding a job that was more conducive to having a family. And I have never regretted it.
Yes, as I am sure is true of most of you, a little more money, or even a lot more, would be very nice, but it is not really necessary. We live day to day very comfortably on my 1 income so my wife can be a stay at home mother, and we wouldn't want it any other way. But family life aside, what else do people toss by the wayside to get wealthy? Church attendance, home teaching, personal scripture study, ethics and morals, and any number of other things. Is it any wonder God doesn't want us seeking after riches? The Savior himself said, "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" I answer no profit at all. When we remember that this life is a very, very brief stop in the trip of existence. When we remember that this life is almost no time at all compared to how long we have already existed and how long we will exist after this life. Don't screw it up by wasting the all too brief time we are here. Until tomorrow.
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