Leaving Kirtland - Leaving Wealth

When the Church members were being persecuted enough that it became necessary to leave Kirtland, Ohio and their temple, it must have been hard. Obviously they couldn't sell their land for much or for anything since they were being pushed out by a mob, and they had been commanded to leave by the Lord. I'm sure that was difficult for some of them.

With that backdrop, consider this counsel from the Lord (specifically for the Bishop in the place who was also a local businessman as well as for other members)

2Let them awake, and arise, and ^acome forth, and not tarry, for I, the Lord, command it.

3Therefore, if they ^atarry it shall not be well with them.

4Let them repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is ^aproperty unto me? saith the Lord.

5Let the properties of Kirtland be turned out for ^adebts, saith the Lord. Let them go, saith the Lord, and whatsoever remaineth, let it remain in your hands, saith the Lord.

6For have I not the fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not ^amade the earth? Do I not hold the ^bdestinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth?

7Therefore, will I not make ^asolitary places to bud and to^bblossom, and to bring forth in abundance? saith the Lord.

8Is there not room enough on the mountains of ^aAdam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha ^bShinehah, or the land where^cAdam dwelt, that you should covet that which is but the drop, and neglect the more weighty matters?

Let's review the counsel. They are told to leave the area. Also, they have covetous desires (i.e., they want to keep their wealth/property) and are told to repent. I think we can understand how difficult it would be to leave our life's work behind for almost nothing.

However, here's the Lord's response: "for what is ^aproperty unto me? saith the Lord." In verse 8, the Lord calls property the "drop" and not a "weighty matter". With the benefit of hindsight, I must say that this counsel is clearly accurate. The church members in Kirtland needed to join the rest of the church and help build up the kingdom over the next couple of decades. Without that it would be impossible for the great growth and expansion of the church to millions of people. Helping build a foundation for millions to participate in the blessings of the gospel is certainly the weight matter, not leaving behind property.

Consider the Lord's explanation of his power/ability to make life abundant as well as take care of all things:

6For have I not the fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not ^amade the earth? Do I not hold the ^bdestinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth?

7Therefore, will I not make ^asolitary places to bud and to^bblossom, and to bring forth in abundance? saith the Lord.

Missouri was a solitary place; Nauvoo was a more solitary place, and Utah was the most solitary place, perhaps in all of the current United States. All of those places became abundant.

I love these verses because they help me appreciate what the church members were asked to do. They also help me imagine the same request coming in my life and push me to have enough faith now that I would follow the counsel they are given. I know the Lord only asks us to do things that are good. This move was very good for those who decided to follow. I want to always be one of those people and not care too much about money, or how hard I've worked for wealth, or anything else that could impede my progression and willingness to follow God and his prophets.

Have a great day.