Interesting Lessons on Business and the Church from D.C. 124

In D.C. 124 the Saints in Nauvoo are commanded to build a temple and a hotel (house for the entertainment of strangers and visitors). The Lord appoints certain members to be in charge of gathering investors for the house. A few rules are stipulated:

1) Stock isn't given on loan; you get your stock when you pay for it

2) You must pay between $50 and $15,000; no more than $15,000 (probably so no one has too much control over it or too much risk by investing too much) and no less than $50 (a minimum number)

3) Those appointed to control the money invested for the house cannot use the money for any other purpose; if they do they have to pay the investor 4x the amount of money the person originally gave or those appointed will be removed from their place (certainly that position, possibly also from the church; it's unclear)

4) Joseph Smith has the same rules as everyone else; he can invest between $50 and $15K

The rules are interesting and speak to some principles.

Don't do business on credit. Relationships are too easily ruined by putting people in tough situations.

Be prudent with your investments. The Lord wouldn't even allow too much investment in his own ideas. Interesting...

The Lord takes honesty in business dealings very seriously. It is not okay to lie or misuse funds. There's a temple recommend question about that and Bishops are excommunicated immediately for misappropriating tithing funds.

The prophet has the same rules as others in regards to financial matters. I love this. This is certainly in contrast to corporations where the leaders have huge advantages in terms of investment options and stock grants.

I love this book.

Accepting our Best Efforts

In the world what usually matters is results. That is the only way to measure success. In the church and spiritual matters, results matter too, but the Lord is also able to take into account desires and actions done in an attempt to accomplish things. In the commandment the Lord gives concerning building a temple in Nauvoo, he explains that giving a great effort will be acceptable for him.

44If ye labor with all your might, I will consecrate that spot that it shall be made ^aholy.

45And if my people will hearken unto my voice, and unto the voice of my ^aservants whom I have appointed to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you, they shall not be moved out of their place.

He also mentions that even though the Saints weren't able to build a temple in Missouri as he commanded, he accepted their efforts, which were interrupted by the mob and persecution.

It reminds me of these verses in D.C. 137:

7Thus came the ^avoice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died ^bwithout a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be ^cheirs of the celestial kingdom of God;

8Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who^awould have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;

9For I, the Lord, will ^ajudge all men according to their ^bworks, according to the ^cdesire of their hearts.

10And I also beheld that all ^achildren who die before they arrive at the ^byears of accountability are ^csaved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.

I appreciate the Atonement and suffering of Jesus, which allows God to take into account our desires when he is judging us, because he knows our circumstances so well, having personally gone through them.

The Temple - where God dwells

In D.C. 124, the Saints are again commanded to build a temple.

25And again, verily I say unto you, let all my saints ^acome from afar.

26And send ye ^aswift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto them: Come ye, with all your ^bgold, and your silver, and your precious stones, and with all your antiquities; and with all who have ^cknowledge of antiquities, that will come, may come, and bring the ^dbox-tree, and the fir-tree, and the pine-tree, together with all the precious trees of the earth;

27And with iron, with copper, and with brass, and with zinc, and with all your precious things of the earth; and build a ^ahouse to my name, for the Most High to ^bdwell therein.

It has been my experience that every time I go to the temple, when I walk out I feel better than when I walked in. There is no other place that consistently does that for me. I believe it is where God dwells here on earth. I appreciate the resources church members around the world give in order for temples to exist more and more abundantly on the earth.

Father's Day - a day to consider my blessings

Today was a great day at church. We had two excellent speakers. I'll focus on one. She said that she did not think that her dad grew up thinking that he wanted to work his whole life just to give his money to others, and yet that's what he's done. Interestingly, in that moment, I recognized that that's actually exactly what I want to do. I want to have enough money to comfortably support my family and help them realize all their goals. Money matters little compared to their happiness and comfort.

I really like my family. They help make life better than I could have imagined.

Also, we went to the temple yesterday. First time since we moved to the Bay Area. It's tough with kids, but we think we have a plan for getting there frequently. It's nice to go there. In fact, it's one of the temples in which there's no center aisle, so if you're lucky you can sit next to your spouse. That happened to us. I see that as a blessing.

I'll leave you with these verses. After the Lord helped Joseph get some perspective about his trials and the future of the Church, Joseph instructed the members to be diligent about several things. Here's the close to his advice in D.C. 123. It's tremendous advice for life:

12For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are ^ablinded by the subtle ^bcraftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to ^cdeceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they ^dknow not where to find it—

13Therefore, that we should waste and ^awear out our lives in bringing to light all the ^bhidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

14These should then be attended to with great ^aearnestness.

15Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.

16You know, brethren, that a very large ship is ^abenefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

17Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us ^acheerfully ^bdo all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the ^csalvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

Becoming a Missionary not Going on a Mission - Donny Osmond

Elder Bednar gave a talk in October 2005 Priesthood Session entitled "Becoming a Missionary".

http://lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/becoming-a-missionary?lang=eng

He makes several comments about common phrases church members use that miss the mark and do not explain what we need to do. Here's a few paragraphs from the talk:

In meetings with young members of the Church around the world, I often invite those in attendance to ask questions. One of the questions I am asked most frequently by young men is this: “What can I do to prepare most effectively to serve as a full-time missionary?” Such a sincere question deserves a serious response.

My dear young brethren, the single most important thing you can do to prepare for a call to serve is to become a missionary long before you go on a mission. Please notice that in my answer I emphasized becomingrather than going. Let me explain what I mean.

In our customary Church vocabulary, we often speak of going to church,going to the temple, and going on a mission. Let me be so bold as to suggest that our rather routine emphasis on going misses the mark.

The issue is not going to church; rather, the issue is worshipping and renewing covenants as we attend church. The issue is not going to or through the temple; rather, the issue is having in our hearts the spirit, the covenants, and the ordinances of the Lord’s house. The issue is not going on a mission; rather, the issue is becoming a missionary and serving throughout our entire life with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. It is possible for a young man to go on a mission and not become a missionary, and this is not what the Lord requires or what the Church needs.

My earnest hope for each of you young men is that you will not simply go on a mission—but that you will become missionaries long before you submit your mission papers, long before you receive a call to serve, long before you are set apart by your stake president, and long before you enter the MTC.

As some of you may know, there is a fairly well-known story that only one family/person has ever been asked to not serve a full-time mission, the Osmonds. The story often says that they were told by the prophet that they were serving their mission. This story has been used at times by people to excuse not going on a mission because you can serve a mission in other ways. Unless the prophet excuses a young man, I do not agree with using this excuse.

However, it's important to remember that a bigger question for members of the church, particularly priesthood holders, is whether or not they have become missionaries. This is what the Lord expects and the Church needs, as Elder Bednar explains. In some ways, "becoming a missionary" has nothing to do with going on a mission.

Well, Donny Osmond is a missionary. In looking at a search query someone had used to come to this blog, I noticed that Donny Osmond's website was also ranked. I have since looked around the site and noticed that he's made a large effort to explain many, many principles of the gospel and has included many conversion stories related to his family and answered dozens of questions people have asked him. He is a tremendous missionary and an example in missionary work for all of us. Very cool to see that the one person I know of that wasn't asked to serve a mission has become a great missionary and done the Lord's missionary work as much as nearly any member.

I appreciate the example...