D&C 101:67-75

101:67-75 - One part of the parable of the vineyard that I think goes unnoticed until the Lord brings it up in verse 68 is that everything is not done immediately, like when the servant asked when they would possess the land and the master's house, and the Lord said "when I will." In verse 68 he tells the saints "let not your gathering be in haste, nor by flight; but let all things be prepared before you." One question I've always had is why not make everything happen right away? I'm the kind of person that if I know something is going to happen or needs to happen, my main goal is to make it happen as soon as possible. For instance, after the apostles were killed and the gospel was taken away in its fullness, why not just restore it again right away? Why have all those people suffer or dwindle in unbelief for all those centuries because of the choices of others? But the point isn't that I need to understand why, but that I need to make sure that I do my own things in order, not too fast, but when it's time. The Lord brings up waiting for things to be prepared in order to progress the work, when he discusses the constitution of the United States later in the revelation. But for now he continues giving instructions to the saints that they are to "purchase all the lands with money, which can be purchased for money" around Zion, but "let these things be done in their time, but not in haste; and observe to have all things prepared before you."  The IM says, "The Lord spoke of two important items having to do with the establishment of Zion: the gathering of the Saints to places appointed, and the purchase of land in the region of Zion. The Lord cautioned in verses 68 and 72 that the work was not to proceed with haste. Part of the difficulty experienced in the original attempt to establish Zion was caused by many Saints' coming to Zion ill-prepared. They apparently felt that the Lord would care for their needs rather than have them do it themselves. This idea was contrary to the Lord's counsel from the very beginning of Zion's founding, for He said, 'And let the work of the gathering not be in haste, nor by flight.' He warned again: 'And now, behold, this is the will of the Lord your God concerning his saints, that they should assemble themselves together unto the land of Zion, not in haste, lest there should be confusion, which bringeth pestilence.'" And in I'm sure was a shocking statement to the dirt poor saints at that time, the Lord makes a very interesting declaration concerning the money that should be used to buy lands, "there is even now already in store sufficient, yea, even an abundance, to redeem Zion, and establish her waste places, no more to be thrown down, were the churches, who call themselves after my name, willing to hearken to my voice." That must have been difficult to hear for those saints who were poor and struggling. The IM comments, "In the revelation in section 101, given in December 1833, the Lord told His people that if those who called themselves Saints would only follow His counsels, they would have sufficient resources to redeem the land and to establish Zion, 'no more to be thrown down.' In June 1834 the Lord indicated that Zion might already have been redeemed except for the transgressions of His people. It is not the Lord who causes delays in bringing forth Zion. The rate at which His promises are fulfilled is determined by the willingness of His people to respond to Hid counsel. President Spencer W. Kimball noted: 'It is estimated that it took 117 years, from 1830 to 1947, to attain one million members. Then it took sixteen years, from 1947 to 1963, to reach the second million members, and then nine years, 1963 to 1972, to attain the third million. It will probably take about four or five years to move up to the four million mark, and then we can guess what the future holds. What does this mean to us? It means that if the members of the Church do real proselyting in their home wards that the number of converts could grow to astronomical figures and even hasten the time when the Lord will be returning to the earth in His second advent.'" This was a very powerful statement for me, I looked at my own interactions with people and I'd like to think that I'm doing a decent job sharing the gospel, but I know that I'm not. I just happened to listen to an October 2000 general conference talk entitled "Sharing the Gospel" in which Elder Robert Oaks said, "Increased member involvement is the only way to increase our current conversion rate. We have heard all of this many times. Why don't we do better in providing referrals? It is not laziness, because Latter-day Saints are not lazy people. I believe that the fear of rejection or the fear of hurting a friendship are the more common restraints to sharing the gospel." It's like we learn in 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." That's really powerful for me, I'm going to pray more for opportunities to share the gospel because really, people talk constantly about the things that are of value to them. For instance, people who run or who follow a certain lifestyle, they won't STOP talking about what has changed their lives and how everyone would be happier by doing the same. Do I not value the gospel as much as that? Is the plan of salvation not more precious to me than someone doing exercise? But what am I doing to demonstrate that the gospel is the most important thing in my life? I'm going to have to pray about that.