On The Turning Away…

19 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by latterdaylamanite in Just Marc

Tags

kingdom of god, On the turning away, poor in heart, rich man, succor, Zion

On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won’t understand
“Don’t accept that what’s happening
Is just a case of others’ suffering
Or you’ll find that you’re joining in
The turning away…”

This song has always resonated with me. I am reminded of an address given by a King hundreds of years before Christ:

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

So my question to you, dear reader, do we really bring upon ourselves our poverty? Does a man who seek Zion become poor in heart? What did Christ finally advise a certain rich man who had seemed so sincere in obtaining eternal life?

18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

It isn’t enough to keep the laws. The Pharisees kept the laws and prided themselves in their zeal and knowledge of the laws. But their hearts were far from the spirit of the laws, even from He who gave them the laws. The laws don’t save us. Jesus Christ saves us. When we forsake everything to follow Him, even all our riches and worldly possessions, thus leaving us poor; when we have experienced that mighty change of heart, we truly become reborn.

Our hearts become one with Him. This is what prepares us for His kingdom. This is what prepares us for Zion, wherein no rich man exists, for there are no poor among them either. There are only the pure in heart who have all things common and where nobody esteems himself above another. Isaiah and others have prophecied of its coming. Who will abide the day? Until then:

…It’s a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it’s shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we’re all alone
In the dream of the proud

On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night

No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It’s not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there’ll be
No more turning away?

All Things Common

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by latterdaylamanite in Just Marc

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

emergency preparedness, food storage, law of consecration, Zion

In the April 2013 session of General Conference, Boyd K. Packer said, “We find safety and security for ourselves and our children in honoring the covenants we have made and living up to the ordinary acts of obedience required of the followers of Christ.”

Jesus Christ revealed to Joseph Smith in D&C 38 the following:

29 Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.
30 I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.

After Christ had visited the Nephites and Lamanites at Bountiful, they had become a Zion people.

3 Nephi 26:19 And they taught, and did minister one to another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another.

How many of us have more than one year’s worth of food storage and also emergency preparedness items? How many of us have less? How many of us just barely got started? And how many still haven’t worried about it. Now let’s look outside the box.

What if the “big day” hits tonight in the middle of your sleep. Your city has just been hit by a massive earthquake or some other disaster. Or war has struck. You just got a phone call from your Elder’s Quorum or another leader informing you of an emergency meeting in your chapel building as soon as you can get there. Bring EVERYTHING.

You loaded up the truck or your camper, whatever. Your family is set! You show up at church and wait as the rest of your ward/branch members show up over the next few hours, even the next few days, depending on the circumstances of the disaster.

The bishop has organized the ward into groups and everyone is “asked” to bring everything they have forward. What you have been saving up will be shared by everyone according to their needs.

Are you one of those who are giving years of saved goods? Or are you one who brought nothing, but will be sharing what others have shared? Would you feel slighted if you had been obedient for many years and now you’re seeing all your stuff going to those who spent their time and money four wheeling or boating instead? But what if you were the one who left all his toys on the driveway and reality has set in and you realize that you will be eating what your neighbors have been saving over the last decade? Or maybe you truly have been scraping by and doing without worldly things.

Will everyone be glad of heart, having all things common as Zion? Will there be grudges? Accusations? Perhaps some will be glad to share without judgment, being true and faithful to their temple covenant to live the law of consecration. Perhaps it would truly be Zion.

Could you do it with the pure and perfect love of Christ, whatever your circumstances might be, without judgment? Would you? You might find it harder than you ever thought possible. Or maybe it would come naturally. Perhaps only time will tell.

Who can abide Zion?

I Would Not Hear

21 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by latterdaylamanite in Book of Mormon

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Amulek, calling, money, riches, Zion

The Lord told Adam that he “shalt” eat by the sweat of his brow all his days (KJV). Since then, there have been many who, rather than rely on the Lord for their bounty (the Lord multiplies crops, orchards, gardens, fruits, vegetables and grains, rebuking the devourer for the sake of the righteous), they rely on the arm of their own flesh; on their own industry. The more I ponder Amulek, the more I see just how much I was like Amulek. He was industrious and a man of means and of money and of reputation. He was the CEO of his own company.

2 I am Amulek; I am the son of Giddonah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi; and it was that same Aminadi who interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God.

3 And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren.

4 And behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold, I have many kindreds and friends, and I have also acquired much riches by the hand of my industry.

5 Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.

6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.

I’ve been a business owner since I was a teenager. When you are a business owner, you rely on yourself and your cunning and intellect and and planning and organizing. You rely on people for your business as they are your potential customers and clients. You influence their agency. Where is the Lord in all this? It cannot be right to ask God to bless people so that they will buy from you, patronize your business and make you rich and prosperous. And I used to pray such things as a business owner for many years.

I don’t know how many times I did not fulfill callings such as home teaching, because I was too busy managing, organizing, making contacts, etc. I shudder to think how I will look back on my life and seeing how often I passed someone in need of my substance or succor. How often did I not come to someone in need because I was too busy getting gain (as described in the Book of Mormon)?

My life is in a much different place now. I have simplified my life considerably and am trying to simplify it further–in fact as far as I can. The more I cast off the world, the less I need money to subsist or even to be entertained. You can buy anything in this world with money. But you can also get by well enough without it, or at least, in a modern world without much at all. If you have no debt, you don’t need money. It is irrelevant. And then you can focus so much more time on helping and serving others. My heart is in a much better place today. Truly a rich man is not fit for Zion. He ignores its call. Those who labor in Zion labor for Zion.

More Things To Do

20 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by latterdaylamanite in Just Marc

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mammon, money, needy, poor, success, wealth

So I was reading the newspaper yesterday and happened upon the GO! section. This is the section where you can find all the events that are going on in the local and even the regional area. I browsed through all the concerts, movies, rodeos and then I flipped the page. In big capital letters read the words, “MORE THINGS TO DO.” Underneath and on the next four pages were categories of more things to do. There were lists of events under EXHIBITS, and there were lists of events under MUSEUMS and so on for OPERA, COMEDY, etc. There were MORE THINGS TO DO JUST FOR KIDS, too.

As if I didn’t already have enough things to do. It seems that we as a people excel at complicating our lives so much that we struggle to find time to entertain ourselves with more things to do. I still cringe to think of the time when all I wanted in life was to be successful. And to be successful you have to work hard. if I was working hard and building my dream, I would reach a point where I could coast the rest of my life. I have noticed, however, that people don’t truly coast when they hit that point. They still have to work just as hard to keep all the fancy things that they have acquired. The irony of seeking any kind of freedom, whether financial, spiritual, etc, is that the source of your freedom also becomes your master.

Today most people equate success with money. We forget, however, that money is not at all synonymous with success. Success depends on the journey, though. And the journey depends on your choice of direction. Jesus Christ said that no man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold on to one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and Mammon. For those who do not know, Mammon is a word that has several meanings wrapped up in one: wealth, riches, possessions, materialism. Basically it is worldliness. And I cannot ignore how the two have been conflated.

This is in stark contrast to the teachings of our Savior who traveled without purse or scrip. And when once a man told Him that he would follow Him wherever He went, the Savior replied, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

I have come to learn that I cannot be a true disciple of Jesus Christ if I am always looking for more things to do, more things to buy, more riches to possess, more things to outgrow and more things to throw away. I’ll never forget the Saturday I toured a new outdoor shopping mall in Salt Lake City to see what all the fuss was about. There were so many people walking along, shopping, wearing their latest fashions and shiny things at overpriced outlets. Meanwhile, just outside the center at almost every entrance sat someone asking for help. There is a world full of people who need help. These are the people that Jesus Christ spent His time with during His mortal ministry. These are the people that Alma and the four sons of Mosiah spent countless years serving. I prefer to think of those words in a new context, and as I strive to be more like my Savior serving others, I know that there are always more things to do.

King Benjamin was one who had more things to do and he implored his people; his esteemed brothers and sisters to do the same:

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.

Indeed I have more things to do!

Today’s Golden Calves

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by latterdaylamanite in Just Marc

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

ancient israelites, golden calf, idleness, idol worship, idolatry

Thousands of years from now, when people read about us, we will be described as fanatical worshipers of idols who dress up in strange ritualistic clothing to celebrate the gods we adore. Our idleness and the idols, which we deify will be on display in museums, recorded in digital books and other forms of advanced media, displaying us in all our Babylonian glory.

The ancient Israelites worshiped idols and are most commonly known for having built a golden calf to worship. Did they pray to it? Maybe, maybe not, but there can be no doubt about their devotion to the world they left behind when they exited Egypt. Today’s golden calves are much more intricate and advanced, but they are everywhere.