D&C 104:19-86

104:19-46 – The Lord spends the next 27 verses giving specifics about certain people and what he wants their stewardships to be. The IM sums it up pretty nicely by quoting Smith and Sjodahl: “Specific directions are here given for stewardships. Sidney Rigdon is given charge of the tannery. He had, at one time, been engaged in the very useful business of a tanner and was competent in this stewardship. Martin Harris, who was a successful farmer, is given charge of a piece of land. He was also to manage a publication business, under the direction of the Prophet. Oliver Cowdery and Frederick G. Williams are given charge of the printing office. John Johnson is to be a real estate agent. Newel K. Whitney is assigned to the mercantile establishment. Joseph Smith is given charge of the Temple lot. He is also to take care of his father, for the Lord recognizes the duty of children to provide for their parents, as well as the duty of parents to care for their children.” I am curious as to why some of these assignments were given. Positions like Sidney Rigdon as a tanner, and Martin Harris as a farmer make sense because they were both proficient in these skills before joining the church, but was John Johnson a good real estate agent? Was Frederick G. Williams a good printer? I think maybe it is like o ur callings at church, sometimes we get a certain calling because we are good at it, and the church needs those skills at those time, and sometimes we are given assignments in which we are not very good in order for us to grow and rely on him.

104:47-57 - The Lord divides the united order in Zion and Kirtland because of “the covenants being broken through transgression, by covetousness and feigned words.” The IM quotes President Joseph Fielding Smith as teaching, “distance was too great between (Kirtland and Jackson County) for unity of purpose in all things. Each order was to be organized in the names of the brethren residing in each place, and to do business in their own names. This separation and dissolving of the former order came about also because of transgression and covetousness on the part of some. They were to understand that all the properties were the Lord’s, otherwise their faith was vain, and therefore they were stewards before the Lord. All of this was to be done for the purpose of building up the Church and Kingdom of God on the earth, and to prepare the people for the time when the Lord should come to dwell upon the earth.”

104:58-59 - Next the Lord commands them “to print my words, the fullness of my scriptures, the revelations which I have given unto you.” The IM says, “The Lord commanded the members of the united order to publish His revelations and then specified why. The revelation are given ‘for the purpose of building up my church and kingdom on the earth, and to prepare my people for the time when I shall swell with them.’ President Joseph F. Smith, after speaking of the Bible and the Book of Mormon and how they bear witness of Jesus as the Christ, added: ‘But is this all? No. We have here another book, the ‘Doctrine and Covenants,’ which contains revelations from God through the Prophet Joseph Smith, who lived contemporary with ourselves. They are Christ’s words, declaring that he was the same that came to the Jews, that was lifted up on the cross, was laid in the tomb, burst the bands of death and came forth out of the grace… Here, then is another testimony of this divine truth; hence we have three witnesses.’”

104:60-77 - Next the Lord tells them to “prepare for yourselves a place for a treasury, and consecrate it unto my name,” for the sacred things of the kingdom, and then “there shall be another treasury prepared,” and this one for the monetary needs of the Church. The IM explains the difference by quoting President J. Reuben Clark Jr.: ‘The Lord created two other institutions besides the storehouse: one was known as the Sacred Treasury, into which was put ‘the avails of the sacred things in the treasury, for sacred and holy purposes. While it is not clear, it would seem that into this treasury were to be put the surpluses which were derived from the publication of the revelations, the Book of Mormon,… and other similar things, the stewardship of which had been given to Joseph and others. The Lord also provided for the creation of ‘Another Treasury,’ and into that other treasury went the general revenues which came to the Church, such as gifts of money and those revenues which came to the Church, such as gifts of money and those revenues derived from the improvement of stewardships as distinguished from the residues of the original consecrations and the surpluses which came from the operation of the stewardships. We have in place of the two treasuries, the ‘Sacred Treasury’ and ‘Another Treasury,’ the general funds of the Church. Thus you will see, brethren, that in many of its great essentials, we have, as the Welfare Plan has now developed, the broad essentials of the United Order.” The IM expounds on how the sacred funds were to be administered?” Saying, “Money from the treasury was to be spent only with the common consent of the members of the order. There was to be no unrighteous dominion in the work of the Lord. If the Lord’s properties were managed properly, it was probably that the treasury would eventually have a large amount of money in it. Such funds, used for righteous purposes, could truly bless all members of the order. ‘(This fund would be) equal to the most extreme emergencies,’ explained President Lorenzo Snow. ‘Then when any misinformation befalls man, such as the burning of his property, or failure or trouble in his department of business, he could go to the treasurer and say, ‘I have need of a certain amount to assist me in my stewardship. Have I not managed the affairs of my stewardship in a wise manner? Can you not have confidence in me? Have I ever misused the means put into my hands? Has it not been wisely controlled? If so, given me means to help me in my stewardship, or to build up this industry that is needed for the general interests of the whole.’ Well, it is to be given to him. There is confidence reposed in him because of his past conduct, and the course which he has pursued. He has due right in exercising his talents according to the light of the spirit that is within him. He understands fully the circumstances in which he is placed, and governs himself according to the obligations that rest upon him. He is found to be a wise, economical manager; and he is assisted in his stewardship to the extent of the means that he should have.’”

104:78-86- - The Lord finishes up this revelation by giving counsel specific to them at this time, but also very applicable to us also. The Lord commands “it is my will that you shall pay all your debts. And it is my will that you shall humble yourselves before me, and obtain this blessing by your diligence and humility and the prayer of faith. And inasmuch as you are diligent and humble, and exercise the prayer of faith, behold, I will soften the hearts of those to whom you are in debt, until I shall send means unto you for your deliverance.” The concept of the Lord softening the hearts of people is interesting to me, I’m going to have to find out more about it. The IM teaches, “Very often when individuals face a great challenge in life, they attempt to work it out through their own efforts. Such self-reliance is commendable, but there is another principle that may apply, and that it reliance on the Lord. Alma the Elder is a case in point. The angel said to Alma the Younger, when he appeared to him and the four sons of Mosiah, that he had been sent because ‘the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father.’ Alma the Elder, Realizing that he had a serious problem with his rebellious son, exercised great faith and prayed with great diligence. He called on the power of God for help. The added power from God made the difference. In Doctrine and Covenants 104:78-80, the Lord teaches the same principle. Though the debts must have seemed almost insurmountable to them, the leaders were commanded to ‘obtain this blessing by your diligence and humility and the prayer of faith.’ If they would do that, the Lord would keep His promise to ‘soften the hearts’ of those to whom they were in debt. President N. Eldon Tanner said: ‘For most of us there are two kinds of financial debt- consumer debt and investment or business debt. Consumer debt refers to buying on credit those things we use or consume in daily living. Examples would include installment buy of clothes, appliances, furniture, etc. Consumer debt is secured by mortgaging our future earnings. This can be very dangerous. If we are laid off work, disabled, or encounter serious emergencies, we have difficulties meeting our obligations. Installment buying is the most expensive way to purchase. To the cost of the goods we buy must be added heavy interest and handling charges. I realize that your families find it necessary at times to purchase on credit. But we caution you not to buy more than is truly necessary and to pay off your debts as quickly as possible. When money is tight, avoid the extra burden of additional interest charges. Investment debt should be fully secured so as not to encumber a family’s security. Don’t invest in speculative ventures. The spirit of speculation can become intoxicating. Many fortunes have been wiped out of the uncontrolled appetite to accumulate more and more. Let us learn from the sorrows of the past and avoid enslaving our time, energy, and general health to a gluttonous appetite to acquire increased material goods. President Kimball gas given this thought-provoking counsel: ‘The Lord has blessed us as a people with a prosperity unequaled in times past. The resources that have been placed in our power are good, and necessary to our work here on the earth. But I am afraid that many of us have been surfeited with flocks and herds and acres and barns and wealth and have begun to worship them as false gods, and they have power over us. Do we have more of these good things than our faith can stand? Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards,, furnishings, automobiles, and the life to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life. Forgotten is the fact that our assignment is to use these many resources in our families and quorums to build up the kingdom of God.’ By the way testimony, may I add this to President Kimball’s statement. I know of no situation where happiness and peace of mind have increased with the amassing of property beyond the reasonable wants and needs of the family.’ Elder Franklin D. Richards taught: ‘In getting out of debt and staying out of debt, there are certain basic principles that we, as individuals and families, can apply, such as:

1. Live within your income.
2. Prepare and use short- and long-term budgets.
3. Regularly save a part of your income.
4. Use your credit wisely, if it is necessary to use it at all. For example, a reasonable debt may be justified for the acquisition of a home or education.
5. Preserve and utilize your assets through appropriate tax and estate planning.

I know that by following these simple, basic principles it is possible to get out of debt and stay out of debt. What will this mean to us as individuals and families? President Heber J. Grant said, ‘If there is any one things that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means, and if there is any one things that is grinding, and discouraging and disheartening it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet.’”  I know from personal experience that this is absolutely true. In all this discussion about consecration and who gets what and who does what, it really brings home the point that everything is the Lords and if we focus too much on temporal, we can lose the spiritual. While listening to the most recent conference in the car today, in a talk entitled “I Am a Child of God,” Elder Donald L. Hallstrom said, “The Saints in Liberia have little materially, and yet they seem to have everything spiritually. What we witnessed that day in Monrovia was a group of sons and daughters of God who knew it!” That was pretty powerful to me.