8/24/2017 - Section 64:18-43

August 24, 2017

Section 64:18-43

Missionary Requirements, Leaving the Church, Keep the Commandments, Keep the Faith,

V’s 22-23 and 33-34 go together beautifully at any time, but especially as Bob and I get ready for our next mission: : 22-23  “…go with an open heart up to the land of Zion; for I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men.   Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.” And 33-34: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.   Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.”

P 138 gives a quote from the Oct 1913 Gen Conf. It was given by Elder Rudger Clawson in response to D&C 64:23: “What does that mean? Does it mean that if a man will not pay his tithing, that the Lord is going to send a ball of fire down fro heaven and burn him up? No, the Lord does not do that way. The Lord works on natural principles. This is what it means, if I read correctly: a man who ignores the express command of the Lord, by failing to pay his tithing, it means that the Spirit of the Lord will withdraw from him; it means that the power of the priesthood will withdraw from that man, if he continues in the spirit of neglect to do his duty. He will drift away into darkness, gradually but surely….” When we choose to do right, blessings come to us slowly and gently. When we choose to go away from the Lord’s commands, those blessings we have so enjoyed leave us slowly but surely.

6/15/2021 – D&C 64:26-43

I just read a segment of Elder Eyring’s talk in the April 2007 General Conference. He said he had help for ‘those who are discouraged’, but I believe that what he said gives hope and great opportunity to us all no matter what state of mind, or what state of comfort, we find ourselves in: “For those who are discouraged by their circumstances and are therefore tempted to feel they cannot serve the Lord this day, I make you two promises. Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. …The other promise I make to you is that by choosing to serve Him this day, you will feel His love and grow to love Him more”

The Lord is trying to help the saints through rapidly changing times. He tells us in v 29 that “…whatever ye do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord’s business.”  The saints had been given long and difficult tasks. The Lord promised them: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind….”   President Monson repeated this truth to us in our day: “Ours is the task to be fitting examples. We are strengthened by the truth that the greatest force in the world today is the power of God as it works through man. If we are on the Lord’s errand, … we are entitled to the Lord’s help. Never forget that truth. That divine help, of course, is predicated upon our worthiness. Each must ask: Are my hands clean? Is my heart pure? Am I a worthy servant of the Lord?” (April 2008 General Conference)

In the April 2001 General Conference, Elder Bruce D Porter, a Seventy gave us beautiful, comforting, and inspiring advice: “We do not have to be called to serve far from home, nor do we have to hold a prominent place in the Church or in the world to build up the Lord’s kingdom. We build it in our own hearts as we cultivate the Spirit of God in our lives. We build it within our families by instilling faith in our children. And we build it through the organization of the Church as we magnify our callings and share the gospel with neighbors and friends.      As our missionaries labor in fields ready for harvest, others labor in fields at home to strengthen the kingdom in the ward and community where they reside. From its earliest days, the Lord’s Church has been built up by ordinary people who magnified their callings in humility and devotion. It does not matter to what office we are called to serve, only that we act ‘in all diligence’ (D&C 107:99). In the words of modern revelation: ‘Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great’”.

We don’t have to be “great” people. We don’t have to be recognized and/or admired by others. We don’t have to be wealthy or even highly intelligent. We only have to wake up, talk to our Heavenly Father, and treat all who are around us with kindness and with love. We only have to follow His commandments—whether those commandments are found in the scriptures. or in the sudden thoughts from the Holy Ghost that enter our minds and hearts. The Lord wants us to be good, and to do good. And if we do all that with love, many people will benefit…including ourselves.