Jacob Chapter 2 from the Book of Mormon is frequently quoted in General Conference. This is probably because of Jacob's statement in the beginning of he chapter where he declares that he is going to discuss some things that are difficult to hear, but he has to preach to the people in order to not be responsible for their ignorance. He then goes into a very powerful sermon about the Law of Chastity.
In the midst of all of his strict "admonishing" Jacob gives us a few clues that lead us beyond just getting the basics and to the heart of spiritual and temporal prosperity. One of these statements in particular tells us exactly what to do if we want prosperity for ourselves and our families.
First, verse 18 - "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God". Of course, this is a life-long pursuit which will offer up varying degrees of success for each of us. However, each of us has the opportunity to see this as a set of priorities - put God and His kingdom first. Then a very specific set of instructions and blessings follow:
Verse 19 - "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 (emphasis added).
My testimony is that if we seek to do good and put the kingdom of God first, and if we actively seek to do good and give to others, the blessings flow in so rapidly we cannot possibly give them away fast enough. As long as you feel a genuine need to serve others and bless their lives, your life will also be blessed beyond imagination.
I love Peter's "First Presidency Letters". They are so inspiring, and full of counsel as to how to recognize prosperity, then expand it. Here is the entire chapter - again, simple yet incredibly profound. Read it slowly and find the keys to abundance:
(remember: red=commandments, blue=blessings)
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
(remember in seminary how we were always asked to find and write down lists? the previous three verses are a great one. what sticks out the most to me:
1) this list moves from a starting point to the end goal that will lead us to a knowledge of God and all of the blessings previously listed, and
2) the beginners focus inward, the more advanced focus on others - in other words, to get closer to God and a knowledge of Him, we MUST have charity)
(in other words, Peter knows he is dying soon - these are the things he wants the saints to remember most. here comes the pep-talk!)
(Sorry for being offline for a couple of weeks - moving from Tallahassee to LA has kept me busy. It's good to be back!)
When the disciples do not understand, Jesus teaches that He is the door, and those who teach another doctrine other than the truth are thieves and robbers. Each is trying to lead the sheep somewhere, but the destinations are very different.
The thieves enter to "steal", "kill", and "destroy". This makes me think of all of the ways we can be enticed away from the true path of happiness. It has become harder to recognize these thieves as they are often disguised with such good ideas as tolerance and acceptance. We take Christ out of everything just to make sure and not offend, not requiring "tolerance" of non-Christians, just of those who believe.
Another way we can be deceived is by many programs built to enhance and improve our lives partially based on truth, yet not centered on the gospel. These resources can be sincerely life-enhancing, but still not complete. They often teach us to focus on our own needs, not on the needs of others.
"President Lorenzo Snow expressed... 'When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.'
"In today’s world of pop psychology, junk TV, and feel-good self-help manuals, this advice may seem counter-intuitive. We are sometimes told that the answer to our ills is to look inward, to indulge ourselves, to spend first and pay later, and to satisfy our own desires even at the expense of those around us. While there are times when it is prudent to look first to our own needs, in the long run it doesn’t lead to lasting happiness."
In these verses from John, Christ teaches "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (vs.10), "I am the good shepherd" (vs.14), and "there shall be one fold, and one shepherd" (vs.16). By following the teachings of Jesus we are lead to truly lasting abundance and prosperity.
Matthew 6:24-34
The Lord commands us in the Doctrine & Covenants that we are to "prepare every needful thing" - in other words, to focus on the things that matter most in terms of our salvation.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:
Jesus taught about priorities when He said, ‘Seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you’ (JST, Matt. 6:38, in Matt. 6:33, footnote a). ‘Seek … first to build up the kingdom of God’ means to assign first priority to God and to His work. The work of God is to bring to pass the eternal life of His children (see Moses 1:39), and all that this entails in the birth, nurturing, teaching, and sealing of our Heavenly Father’s children. Everything else is lower in priority” (“Focus and Priorities,” Liahona, July 2001, 100–101).
Patricia Holland, former first counselor in the Young Women general presidency adds this story:
On a beautifully clear and bright day, I sat overlooking the Sea of Galilee. I opened my Bible and turned to the account in Luke of Martha, a woman like me ‘troubled about many things.’ But instead of the words printed on the page before me, I thought I saw with my mind and heard with my heart these words: ‘Pat, Pat, thou [art] careful and troubled about many things.’ Then the power of pure and personal revelation took hold of me as I read, ‘But one thing, [only one thing] is truly needful.’ (See Luke 10:38–42.) …
Spirit to spirit, our loving Father in heaven seemed to be whispering to me, ‘You don’t have to worry over so many things. The one thing that is needful—the only thing that is truly needful—is to keep your eyes toward my Son.’
‘Learn of me,’ he seemed to say, ‘and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.’ (D&C 19:23.)” (“ ‘But One Thing Is Truly Needful,’ ” Tambuli, Mar. 1988, 35).
By simplifying our lives and focusing on becoming more like the Savior, we put the Lord in a position where He can more than provide for our needs.
In Matthew 6:24 the Lord teaches us that we cannot serve God and mammon "an Aramaic word for riches". By focusing on only building wealth we actually limit our wealth potential.
As the chapter continues Jesus teaches us how Heavenly Father feeds and clothes all of the beasts of the fields, and then says "are ye not much better than they?" All it takes is faith, and to seek "first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
May we all work harder today to make the Lord our focus.