The kingdom of God or nothing

Almost as soon as I posted the last blog, I had a few twinges of regret. First, permitting the ready appearance of being overcritical (if not actually entertaining a touch of that sentiment). Second, omitting one of the Savior’s masterful summations: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15).

I’ll give some attention to financial things and then hurriedly move along to many more thoughts! A few themes recurred to my mind as I recently pondered the following (and reading it in its entirety is recommended, so as not to pick up a hackneyed perception). Perhaps someone out there can take the care to see what connections I’ve made between the selected verses and my scattered thoughts in the last entry.

For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand; and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, both in this place and in the land of Zion— . . .

For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things;

For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you. . . .

That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world; . . .

Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more. . . .

And he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. Amen. (D&C 78:3, 6-7, 14, 17-19, 22)

I think the most important personal commentary I could offer is to take care in how one sees the interaction of heavenly things and earthly things in each verse. Along the lines of the United Order, appropriately undertaken, Orson Pratt understood precisely why it almost always fails in application:

You may divide the properties of the Church to-day, yes, if it be possible, make a perfectly equal division of it, so that every man in the whole Church should have his share, and let him call it his own; it would not be one day before there would be an inequality again introduced; and one man would possess that which is above another; it could not be otherwise; the changes, difficulties, want of judgment in the management and control of property, and all these things combined together, would serve to render these divided shares unequal; one man losing a large portion of his property through mismanagement; another by fire, by mobocracy, or in some other way, so that neither would have one half, one quarter, or perhaps one hundredth part as much as some of his brethren with whom he was only a short time before perfectly equal.

No equality can be brought about by dividing property; the Lord never intended such an order of things. It is not a division of property that is going to bring about a oneness among the Latter-day Saints in temporal things, but it is a union of property, that all the property may be united, and considered belonging to the Lord, and to every individual in the whole Church, as joint heirs with Him, or as His stewards. . . . But in regard to these stewardships, it is not needful or necessary, or the Lord never intended, that every man should possess an equal amount of stewardship with his brother. (JD, 2:100)

I can see that I’ve made it necessary to explain my position a little better on one practice that is definitely in suspension. I like President J. Reuben Clark, Jr.’s counsel:

We believe that Christ will come and reign personally upon the earth. But that is no reason why I should advocate the establishment of a monarchy to overturn the government of the United States. We believe in the United Order, something that was taken away from us because we could not live it, and the lesser law was given, the law of tithing—which we are not living either; but our belief in the United Order is no reason why we should support a movement for Communism, to the overturning of our government. . . . When the Lord wants his people to move into the United Order he will use his anointed servant to direct the way. (CR, Oct. 1934, 98; see Marion G. Romney, in George J. Romney, Look to God and Live: Discourses of Marion G. Romney [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1971], 219-221)

I’ve seen many who seek to bring about equality in the masses by pulling down, instead of elevating. People are going to have to achieve similar exalted ideas before unity can take place, for among the most frightening of possibilities is unity in evil, commiseration in filth. (Gadianton robbers wanted to partake of the fruits of others’ labors, all the while inviting that laboring class to partake of their secret combinations.) I’ve heard some fanciful LDS explanations that in order to have no poor among us we must also have no rich, but to my mind that doesn’t fully capture the rich bounties of this earth AND the more spiritual definition: “Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich” (D&C 11:7). “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3) refers to humility, and not impoverishment in sublime principles. Nonetheless, one scriptural verse upon which I refuse to place a lenient spin has me continually scrambling for a heart full of the spirit of consecration (as the JST for the next verses suggests): “Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24). As for riches arising from the earth’s resources, I won’t get into the closely related refutation of all things Malthusian or simply family-limiting, but Elder Eyring utilizes D&C 104:17 to good effect—note the absence of any call for forcible redistribution of “wealth” (a theme upon which President Benson occasionally dwelt):

A child could see that Heavenly Father would not command men and women to marry and to multiply and replenish the earth if the children they invited into mortality would deplete the earth. Since there is enough and to spare, the enemy of human happiness as well as the cause of poverty and starvation is not the birth of children. It is the failure of people to do with the earth what God could teach them to do, if only they would ask and then obey, for they are agents unto themselves. (To Draw Closer to God: A Collection of Discourses by Henry B. Eyring [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1997], 164)

This world doesn’t need radical ideas and harsher force, but constant practitioners and steady stewards. (Incidentally, there are minor ways to “go green,” even some slightly larger alterations in lifestyle, without turning it into an alternative religious expression.) “It is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward, to render an account of his stewardship, both in time and in eternity” (D&C 72:3). If we were to continue discussing this in the lesser, earthly vein, let’s just remember that the Book of Mormon similarly teaches that God is in charge of all and can easily curse or bless this land and everything on the face of it according to our worthiness (see Helaman 13:17-23, for example). Are our riches becoming “slippery” today, that we “cannot retain them”?

Friday night I had cause to reflect on the truth that “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Tiredness, loneliness, and, yes, boredom are dangerous conditions. The primary solution to this problem for myself remains irremediable at present, so I focus instead on avoidance of the equally wrong crowds. Hence my taking too much pleasure at a girl turning to me on November 1, 2002 and remarking that I was the most gentlemanly one there, peering by contrast at a motley assortment of other men. However, there’s a Yiddish saying, “Surrounding yourself with dwarfs does not make you a giant.” I bet you saw another connection coming: one will never address one’s own inadequacies by sinking to a comfortable lower level around oneself.

In the course of being what I heard Elder Bednar call, on November 7, 2004,“appropriately alone in a crowd,” it’s imperative to remember that the object of our efforts at shining a light is for others to “glorify [our] Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16), not to “have glory of men” (Matthew 6:2).

It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. Lighthouses do not ring bells and fire cannon to call attention to their shining—they just shine. (Dwight D. Moody, quoted in God Bless America: Prayers & Reflections for Our Country [Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999], 137)

This brings me to some of my favorite lines from one of my favorite (non-LDS) books (my Book of the Year for 2004):

For verily it is not deep words that make a man holy and upright; it is a good life which maketh a man dear to God. I had rather feel contrition than be skilful in the definition thereof. . . .

Be thou never without something to do; be reading, or writing, or praying, or meditating, or doing something that is useful to the community. . . .

Study such matters as bring thee sorrow for sin rather than amusement. . . .

Oh that we might spend a single day in this world as it ought to be spent! . . .

Remember always thine end, and how the time which is lost returneth not. . . .

He will easily be contented and filled with peace, whose conscience is pure. Thou art none the holier if thou art praised, nor the viler if thou art reproached. Thou art what thou art; and thou canst not be better than God pronounceth thee to be. If thou considerest well what thou art inwardly, thou wilt not care what men will say to thee. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart: man looketh on the deed, but God considereth the intent. . . .

It is preferable to have the whole world against thee, than Jesus offended with thee. . . .

Jesus hath many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few bearers of His Cross. He hath many seekers of comfort, but few of tribulation. He findeth many companions of His table, but few of His fasting. All desire to rejoice with Him, few are willing to undergo anything for His sake. Many follow Jesus that they may eat of His loaves, but few that they may drink of the cup of His passion. Many are astonished at His Miracles, few follow after the shame of His Cross. Many love Jesus so long as no adversities happen to them. Many praise Him and bless Him, so long as they receive any comforts from Him. But if Jesus hide Himself and withdraw from them a little while, they fall either into complaining or into too great dejection of mind.

But they who love Jesus for Jesus' sake, and not for any consolation of their own, bless Him in all tribulation and anguish of heart as in the highest consolation. And if He should never give them consolation, nevertheless they would always praise Him and always give Him thanks.

Oh what power hath the pure love of Jesus, unmixed with any gain or love of self! Should not all they be called mercenary who are always seeking consolations? Do they not prove themselves lovers of self more than of Christ who are always seeking their own gain and advantage? . . .

That seemeth a hard saying to many, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow Me. But it will be much harder to hear that last sentence, Depart from me, ye wicked, into eternal fire. . . .

Let temporal things be in the use, eternal things in the desire. . . .

Let not thy peace depend upon the word of men; for whether they judge well or ill of thee, thou art not therefore any other man than thyself. (Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, trans. Rev. William Benham [New York: P F Collier & Son Company, 1909], 213, 232-233, 239, 246, 254-255, 257, 262-263, 288, 304)

So that I’ll be better understood shortly, I introduce another quote, this one from a modern apostle:

We read in 2 Nephi: “Wo unto him that has the law given, . . . that wasteth the days of his probation” (2 Nephi 9:27).

How does one waste the days of his or her probation? Turning to sin is surely part of it, but there is another, more subtle way, a way that may not seem evil at all.

In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord gave a similar warning in these words: “Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:13). Why would I speak of that with you? Because one of the ways Satan lessens your effectiveness and weakens your spiritual strength is by encouraging you to spend large blocks of your time doing things that matter very little. I speak of such things as sitting for hours on end watching television or videos, playing video games night in and night out, surfing the Internet, or devoting huge blocks of time to sports, games, or other recreational activities.

Don’t misunderstand me. These activities are not wrong in and of themselves (unless, of course, you are watching salacious programs or seeking out pornographic images on the Internet). Games, sports, recreational activities, and even television can be relaxing and rejuvenating, especially in times when you are under stress or heavily scheduled. You need activities that help you to unwind and rest your minds. It is healthy to go onto the soccer field or the basketball court and participate in vigorous physical activity.

But I speak of letting things get out of balance. It is not watching television, but watching television hour after hour, night after night. Does not that qualify as idling away your time? What will you say to the Lord when He asks what you have done with the precious gift of life and time? Surely you will not feel comfortable telling Him that you were able to pass the 100,000-point level in a challenging video game.

One devastating effect of idling away our time is that it deflects us from focusing on the things that matter most. Too many people are willing to sit back and let life just happen to them. It takes time to develop the attributes that will help you to be a well-balanced person.

We hear of young people, both male and female, who are so focused on academic success or moving up the career ladder that they “don’t have time for dating.” We hear some say that they will postpone marriage or having children until they can afford them. Let me tell you as a father of seven children, you will never be able to afford them. So just trust in the Lord as Sister Ballard and I did. Somehow it works, with His help.

Remember, you can be exalted without a college degree. You can be exalted without being slender and beautiful. You can be exalted without having a successful career. You cannot be exalted without an eternal mate. So focus the best that you can on those things in life that will lead you back to the presence of God—keeping all things in their proper balance. There are those who may never marry in mortality. But all of God’s blessings will ultimately come to those who are righteous and true to the gospel. (M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Jul. 2004, 13-14)

Returning to my Friday night, with ostensibly “nothing to do.” I was having another headache—also my excuse for any grumpiness that may have emerged last entry—so that I didn’t want to do anything requiring concentration. But I didn’t want to go to bed early after I’d finally achieved free time from work. My thoughts turned to one nearly mindless activity in which I once engaged freely: computer gaming. I can recognize my natural weaknesses when I see them; people may be assured of that, whether or not I may happen to share those weaknesses with them. Computer games—those that I enjoyed—are not something I can easily pick up and drop at the mere drop of a hat. This is one thing whereby I could easily lose several hours, only to start over again, and begin to find it intruding into my thoughts during particularly long and tedious tasks. That was my reasoning behind the journal entry, and subsequent actualization of resolve, for April 2, 2006: “I must stop wasting portions of my life. To that end, I give up my favorite computer game, Civilization III. I seek for higher and more lasting things; I make this decision on my own, and it would be unfair to impose it on my own child. . . . At any rate, I will fill the longings with a more productive use of time and energy. Even if I don’t cease wanting to play in this life, it should join my desire for food products with gluten: I may never have it again, but the day will assuredly come when I no longer need it at all. I will live just fine without it, and probably better.” [NOTE: The gluten decision was made as a result of a medical condition (indeed, the decision was sort of made for me), and is in no way a faddist dietary decision.]

I have this system for checking some of my pursuits in life. It involves adding up the total hours spent versus the benefits obtained, and then considering what else could have been more profitably accomplished. I’m not altogether a stuffed shirt. As indicated previously, I know the value of recreation and relaxation in its place. Anyway, I agonized over a returned desire to play the old computer game. I thought of how I could submerge myself into it for many hours before bedtime and arise in the morning with absolutely nothing to show for it. Then it also occurred to me that I need more social hobbies—the last thing I need is one more activity to indulge in solitarily. The essential part of letting go of my time to properly relax around others wreaks enough havoc on my time tables.

Lastly, I actually found myself praying for relief from the embattled condition. In pondering whether to get rid of the impulse once and for all, the response seemed to be, “What do YOU want to do?” (Much like D&C 58:27.) What I really want, when I can override my own frailties, is to give as much as possible to the kingdom of God without in the process of stretching sending my mind over the brink, or in any way inventing commandments that don’t exist. I find a scriptural combination that expresses what nearly an entire blog entry of mine failed to adequately convey: “I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things” (Alma 38:10). That is, be neither slack nor unbalanced. (It’s interesting to see what scriptures appear for “in all things.” It’s also interesting to actually apply the second sentence of Mosiah 4:27, offsetting some erroneous derivations from the first sentence: to say nothing of reading the preceding verse from which it resulted.) Again, the conclusion I was able to draw was that if it seemed that I could stand it, that would be an acceptable offering. The CD went in the dumpster, so I can’t be tempted any more on that score. Another principle was at play: “I cannot possibly impress this lesson too strongly upon the minds of my readers. If we fall into the habit of making resolves in relation to ourselves, and of constantly breaking them, such a course will tend to make us careless in the fulfillment of promises to others” (Heber J. Grant, IE, Dec. 1899, 84). “You cannot be honest with others unless you are honest with yourself” (James E. Faust, Ensign, May 2003, 109). I’m only describing the battle of one day. Whether I won or lost the following day’s battle, or the preceding, is not the point here. However, I did see to it that I would never retread this particular battleground.

I always did largely confine myself to more constructive, less violent computer games, particularly as their graphic quality—and graphic nature—has increased so dramatically in my lifetime. That’s not to say I never played them. One BYU roommate chuckled when he came home to find me playing Dynasty Warriors on the PlayStation, with a religious music CD cranked up in the background. (I beat that game multiple times.) At least it depicted death by choosing not to depict much at all. Old-fashioned “cowboys and Indians” boy play has been replaced by something more like what happened when the Indians caught up with the cowboys.

I recall playing Wolfenstein 3D back in the day and being slightly shocked at the blood, however poorly people may have felt the pixels portrayed it. One time my grandfather walked up and remarked disapprovingly of having witnessed me shooting a man in the back. It felt inadequate to tell him that the man was a Nazi. We must ever remain more honorable than our enemies, so as not to join the Nephites: “thou knowest the wickedness of this people; thou knowest that they are without principle, and past feeling; and their wickedness doth exceed that of the Lamanites” (Moroni 9:20). My conscience thoroughly pricked, I then played—and won—a far more challenging game in which I always fired a warning shot first.

I do have a natural aptitude for such games that I intend to never develop. Back in 1994 I accompanied my sister and her friends to the old Carousel ice cream parlour in Provo, where I found a game involving a mounted machine gun and some sort of CIA operative work. (I just learned that it’s speculated TWO family members served in the CIA.) I climbed upon a chair, fed it a quarter, and shot my way straight through for a considerable time. Someone walked up in astonishment and asked where I learned how to do that. It was my first time ever, and I had the top score. Another time my friend challenged me to the Street Fighter arcade game at Trafalga in Orem. He was most stunned when, after he’d chopped off both my character’s arms, I proceeded to kick his to death and obtain an “armless victory.” It might have been funny if not so grotesque. This lesson is constant, though: never give up. I have often wondered what a different game they would be if treated like reality, where one wound could seriously impair or halt a character, and there’s no “healing” along the way. That’s another lesson: life is not a game.

Perhaps, with my sensitivities and sensibilities, you see why I’ve steadfastly avoided the violent aspects to the next generation of video gaming. A dream from my childhood, long before the described times, may have been a terrifying glimpse into the devil’s schemes. I woke up shuddering at images I had never planted in my own mind: a demon moving through a field of carnage. “When a man of God passes through a place where much blood has been shed he will feel depressed in spirits and feel lonesome and uncomfortable” (Joseph Smith, in George A. Smith diary, May 16, 1834, cited in Jeffrey S. O'Driscoll, Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2003], 114). I do NOT wish for a continuation of such affairs; it is a sad way to greet the Savior. And yet, without resistance, there may be more killing fields like Pol Pot’s. My views on warfare have nothing whatsoever to do with a natural preference for violence or tendency to push “dirty work” off on others.

But now to cite some positive media influences.... I’ve recently viewed two wonderful movies. Last Monday I did whatever was necessary to accompany a group up to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City and see Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration (for the second time). I’m a huge fan! I also dearly want the soundtrack.

Speaking of victims of atrocities, my 1996 visit to Carthage Jail is among the more sacred experiences of my life. If a friend of another faith should chance upon this—and I’m sure this blog seems plenty strange anyway—this is roughly equivalent to knowing where Peter was crucified or Paul beheaded. We honor the prophets of the Lord Jesus Christ for their respective accomplishments, nothing comparing to His atoning sacrifice. Especially coming from the ancestry that I do, I appreciate the Latter-day Saint view that might well agree with Erasmus in parting from past misconceptions:

You worship the saints, you like to touch their relics; do you want to earn Peter and Paul? Then copy the faith of the one and the charity of the other and you will have done more than if you had walked to Rome ten times. . . . We kiss the shoes of the saints and their dirty handkerchiefs and we leave their books, their most holy and efficacious relics, neglected. (quoted in Johan Huizinga, Erasmus and the Age of Reformation [Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1984], 52, 101)

I have always felt an affinity for Joseph and particularly Hyrum, as well as Hyrum’s faithful progeny.

No mortal man who ever lived in this Church desired more to do good than did Hyrum Smith, the patriarch. I have it from the lips of my own sainted mother, that of all the men she was acquainted with in her girlhood days in Nauvoo, she admired Hyrum Smith most for his absolute integrity and devotion to God, and his loyalty to the prophet of God. And God honored that man by allowing to come from his loins the late beloved President Joseph F. Smith. (Heber J. Grant, CR, Oct. 1920, 84)

I stand before you at this time, my brethren and sisters, with Joseph Fielding Smith and Hyrum G. Smith, a living testimony to the fulfillment of the promise of God to his servant, Hyrum Smith. (David A. Smith, CR, Apr. 1921, 177)

The entire movie is moving for me, but there are two scenes where I can scarcely repress my emotions. One is that moment where Hyrum is struck in the face by a gun blast, evoking Joseph’s reaction, “Oh! my poor, dear brother Hyrum!” (The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith by John Taylor [rep. Grantsville, Utah: Archive Publishers, 1999], 49). More images also come crashing back, including those I was privileged to handle on December 7, 1992. The time I freed up on Friday night, in bypassing time-consuming waste, enabled me to find these pictures.

Hyrum’s clothing at time of death:


As well as Hyrum’s hunting rifle (which he obviously did not have in Carthage):


And the stool upon which Joseph sat as a little boy. Just how little, I wonder? This serves as a reminder that prophets were children once. Even the Savior was a child once. (Hold that thought for my still forthcoming “children discourse,” in which I’m sure to emphasize the error in always picturing prophets as decrepit fellows with white beards instead of imagining their progress through the vigor of youth.)


The other movie scene that touches me to the core is where Joseph is courting Emma. She has been considering the things he told her. Now HE must have had an unusual time with women. After a pause, she then says, “I believe you.” Ah! Supporters in righteous causes are so very hard to come by, especially of the matrimonial brand.

That leads me to my other strong movie recommendation: Amazing Grace.

There’s a classic moment of choice dialog as Wilberforce walks into the garden with the lady he will marry. But I wouldn’t go alone into a garden with such an immodestly dressed woman. :-)

More of an uplifting nature to come soon, discovered among my things on Friday night. There’s no telling what I could find—I have more than one filled box of genealogical papers, too, stretching back easily a decade. It recently occurred to me that if I were to die, some things would be lost that no one else on earth could put together. Far from making me feel indispensable, this ought to make me feel lazy and like it’s high time I put everything in clearly labeled order. I never have done those research logs that are so crucial to family history research; I know better than to repeat my own steps, but I suppose I ought to have laid it out for those after me.

But the brief write-up I have in mind is not genealogical in nature. Good night! Thanks for putting up with me.