Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Temporal Matters (a talk I was asked by my Stake President to give in each ward of our stake.)

 

Temporal Matters

 

 

In the October 1998 General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinkley said, “I wish to speak to you about temporal matters.”

 

I was called by President ******* to be a Self Reliance Specialist for the stake.  I was given the specific assignment in that calling to help the stake become temporally prepared in the areas of food storage and emergency preparedness.  The state of temporal preparedness in the ************ Stake weighs heavily on my mind.  President ******* has asked me to speak to the entire Stake about temporal matters.  I do not wish to be an alarmist, but some of the statements from the prophets and apostles are foreboding in nature as they sound the clarion call of warning.

 

 

President Hinckley read a few verses from the 41st chapter of Genesis during the October 1998 General Conference.  I want to share those verses with you again.

 

Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, dreamed dreams which greatly troubled him. The wise men of his court could not give an interpretation. Joseph was then brought before him:

“Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

“And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat fleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

“And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and lean fleshed.

“And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

“And I saw in my dream … seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:

“And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

“And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears:

“And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, … God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

“The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

 

“What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

“Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

“And there shall arise after them seven years of famine;

“… And God will shortly bring it to pass”

 

President Hinckley said that he was not predicting a famine, but he told us it was time to get our houses in order.    He then emphatically stated, “there is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed.”

 

The definition of portent is:

 

1.  an indication or omen of something about to happen, especially something momentous.

 

And

 

2. threatening or disquieting significance.

 

 

The definition of heed is:

 

1. pay attention to; (or) take notice of.

 

And

 

2.  careful attention.

 

 

Our prophets and the apostles carefully select the words they use when they speak.  We should always pay close attention to the phrasing they use in their talks.

 

 

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we sustain the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators. Their teachings reflect the will of the Lord. They give us instruction, warnings, and counsel from the Lord for our day.   The Lord reveals His will for the Church to His prophet.

 

There are some, both in and out of the church, who question the wisdom of statements made from our leaders.  Elder Jeffery R. Holland addressed this issue during General Conference in 2006. 

 

He said, “Not often but over the years some sources have suggested that the Brethren are out of touch in their declarations, that they don’t know the issues, that some of their policies and practices are out-of-date, not relevant to our times.

 

I say with all the fervor of my soul that never in my personal or professional life have I ever associated with any group who are so in touch, who know so profoundly the issues facing us, who look so deeply into the old, stay so open to the new, and weigh so carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully everything in between.”

 

 

Twenty three years ago our prophet, the mouthpiece of the Lord, gave us a warning.  He told us stormy weather was ahead.  He counseled us to get our houses in order.  He counseled us to be prepared.  He followed that warning up three years later in the October 2001 General Conference saying,

 

I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh’s dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered stalks of corn.”

 

 

Brothers and sisters, we have had twenty years since that second statement to get our houses in order.  We have been given the opportunity to hear counsel from the Lord’s mouthpiece and become temporally prepared for what is ahead.  I strongly urge you to make an honest assessment in your own home as to the state of your temporal preparedness and take appropriate temporal steps as needed.

 

 

There are various aspects to being self-reliant.  These include temporal preparedness, finances, employment, emotional resilience and making sure you are spiritually in tune to receive the guidance of the spirit as you become prepared. 

 

Elder David A. Bednar taught us in General Conference last year about the importance of tests.  He said, “…periodic tests are absolutely essential to learning.  An effective test helps us to compare what we need to know with what we actually know about a specific subject; it also provides a standard against which we can evaluate our learning and development.”

 

In the midst of the Covid 19 shutdown we had an earthquake.  Though minor, this earthquake showed many families where they stand regarding the state of their personal preparedness with food storage and other essential items already in their homes.  We witnessed a dramatic emptying of shelves at the grocery store. 

 

Today I am bringing the message of food storage and emergency preparedness.  One only needs to look at the chaos in the grocery stores of last year in the early days of the Covid 19 shutdowns to see the wisdom in having food and other essential items on hand in your homes.  We saw shortages of common items, including toilet paper, cleaning supplies, milk, baking goods, bottled water and butter, just to name a few. 

 

Today we still see the effects of tyrannical government behavior due to Covid restrictions and their impact on the local and world economy.  A local dairy has struggled to get their milk to the grocery store shelves due to a shortage of plastic lids for their milk jugs.  We see a decrease in the variety of foods we commonly purchase.  Some shelves still remain bare or hold minimal product. 

Perhaps even more telling is the ninety day closure that just occurred to one of the largest long term food storage companies in the world.  They sent out a notice to their customers that they have stopped production until early next year because they are unable to procure the food they use in making their products.

 

President Ezra Taft Benson said, “The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.”  (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign January 1974)

 

Brothers and sisters, it was not raining when Noah built the ark, but he built it and the rains came.

 

 

The past two years have proven to be trying times for all of us.  One of the ways that can help us strengthen and grow is through the principle of preparation.  We have been commanded in the Doctrine and Covenants to prepare every needful thing… (D&C 88:119)

 

We also are promised that “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. (D&C 38:30)

 

Some members of our church believe that food storage and emergency preparedness are no longer topics of importance or necessary.  Elder Bednar had this to say a year ago during General Conference:

 

Some Church members opine that emergency plans and supplies, food storage, and 72-hour kits must not be important anymore because the Brethren have not spoken recently and extensively about these and related topics in general conference. But repeated admonitions to prepare have been proclaimed by leaders of the Church for decades. The consistency of prophetic counsel over time creates a powerful concert of clarity and a warning volume far louder than solo performances can ever produce.

 

 

We see that some members believe all we need do is work on our spirituality.  They believe there is no need for temporal preparation and all we need to do is be spiritually prepared. 

 

In Doctrine and Covenants 29 we learn an important principle from the Lord. 

 

Verse 34 says:

 

“Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal,” (D&C 29:34)

 

The parable of the ten virgins teaches us this lesson about both temporal and spiritual preparedness. 

 

Elder Bednar reminded us last year during General Conference about this lesson.  He taught us that procrastinating preparation leads to devastating consequences. Recall how the five foolish virgins failed to prepare appropriately for the day of the bridegroom’s coming.

“They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. …

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

“Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

“And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

“But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.”

 

“But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, Ye know me not.”

 

 

 

President Spencer W. Kimball had this to say about the parable: “The ten virgins belonged to the kingdom and had every right to the blessings—except that five were not valiant and were not ready when the great day came. They were unprepared through not living all the commandments.”

 

President Kimball said the virgins belong to the kingdom.  The kingdom refers to the members of his church.  Half the kingdom failed to prepare and suffered a devastating consequence for their failure to be obedient.

 

There are some members who believe when hard times arrive we will all pool our food and everyone will have enough.  They somehow believe that a miracle like the fishes and loaves will occur for them, or they think the Law of Consecration will take care of everyone. 

 

Let me read to you Doctrine and Covenants, section 130: verses 20-21:

 

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

 

If we fail to obey a principle of the gospel, we cannot receive the blessings for another’s faithfulness.  Faith without works is dead.  If you do not have the faith to follow the consistent counsel from the prophets and apostles to put up some food storage and other essentials for your family, how can you believe you will have faith equal to the fishes and loaves miracle?

 

For those who smugly think that the Law of Consecration will protect them, allow me to point out certain principles associated with the doctrine.  Under the Law of Consecration all things are deeded to the church.  The agent bishop than returns a stewardship back to you based on your needs and circumstances.  That stewardship becomes private property for the steward and his family.  It is not communal property.  If there is a surplus from that stewardship, it would then go to the bishop’s storehouse to care for the poor and needy.  To be clear, under this law, a year supply of food for one family, is not a year supply for everyone else to tap into.  If there was any surplus, it would be available through the bishop’s storehouse.

Let me share what Elder Boyd K. Packer said about home storage in his book The Holy Temple (pg 227-229):

“Consider this comparison.  In the welfare program we have been counseled for generations by the leaders of the Church to secure for ourselves a year's supply of food and clothing, and if possible fuel, and to be concerned for our shelter. This is a responsibility laid upon the individual members of the Church, upon each family. The commodities are to be stored at home. They are to be privately purchased, privately stored, and in time of crisis privately used.“

Elder James E. Faust said, “The Church cannot be expected to provide for every one of its millions of members in case of public or personal disaster.” 

 

Several years ago the father of one of my friends, who was a regional representative at the time, told us that the storehouses of the church have enough food stored, to feed every family in the church, in the world, a single meal and then all the food was gone.


It is not ever suggested that because we have bishop's storehouses there would be no need for individual families to maintain their year's supply. The counsel for the individual to protect himself and his family has never been withdrawn. It has been continually emphasized. 

President Benson put to rest that idea that the storehouse will care for us all when he said, “Our bishops storehouses are not intended to stock enough commodities to care for all the members of the Church. Storehouses are only established to care for the poor and the needy. For this reason, members of the Church have been instructed to personally store a year's supply of food, clothing, and, where possible, fuel.” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.267)

  

I am going to share with you some verses from the Book of Mormon.

 

1 Nephi 16:18-20

18  And it came to pass that as I, Nephi, went forth to slay food, behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel; and after I did break my bow, behold, my brethren were angry with me because of the loss of my bow, for we did obtain no food.

 

19  And it came to pass that we did return without food to our families, and being much fatigued, because of their journeying, they did suffer much for the want of food.

 

20  And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael did begin to murmur exceedingly, because of their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness; and also my father began to murmur against the Lord his God; yea, and they were all exceedingly sorrowful, even that they did murmur against the Lord.

 

Lehi was a prophet of God and he faltered when he was hungry. He was far more spiritual than we are, and if his hunger drove him to murmur against the Lord, then how do we think we will fare when the day of need arrives?  The Lord expects us to be prepared both spiritually and temporally. 

 

President Kimball said, "We encourage families to have on hand this year's supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scriptures of the Lord where He says, 'Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?' How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so-called, into action and call him by his important names, but fail to do the things which he says" (Spencer W. Kimball, "Family Preparedness," Ensign, May 1976, 125).

 

President Kimball also said, "There will come a time when there isn’t a store.“ (President Spencer W. Kimball General Conference,  April 1974 )

 

Key home storage principles include the storage of food, the storage of water, and the storage of other necessities based on individual and family needs, all because “the best storehouse” is the home, which becomes the most accessible reserve in times of need. 

 

Bishop McMullin in his 2008 General Conference talk said, “brethren, we lay up in store.

 

Wives are instrumental in this work, but they need husbands who lead out in family preparedness. Children need parents who instill in them this righteous tradition. They will then do likewise with their children, and their stores will not fail.

A cardinal principle of the gospel is to prepare for the day of scarcity. Work, industry, frugality are part of the royal order of life. Remember these words from Paul: “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

 

 

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell pointed out last year during General conference that, “In today’s environment, with a pandemic that has devastated whole economies as well as individual lives, it would be inconsistent with a compassionate Savior to ignore the reality that many are struggling and ask them to begin building a reserve of food and money for the future. However, that does not mean that we should permanently ignore principles of preparation—only that these principles should be applied “in wisdom and order” so that in the future we might say, as did Joseph in Egypt, “There was bread.”

 

 

For those who are struggling due to financial strain, start with a one week’s supply and build to a month.  Then build to three months and continue to that goal of a long term supply of food.  So many feel that a long term supply of food is beyond their reach and make no effort.  Begin in a small and consistent way. 

 

 

Bishop Waddell went on to teach that, “Being temporally prepared and self-reliant means “believing that through the grace, or enabling power, of Jesus Christ and our own effort, we are able to obtain all the spiritual and temporal necessities of life we require for ourselves and our families.”

 

 

Additional aspects of a spiritual foundation for temporal preparedness include acting “in wisdom and order,” which implies a gradual buildup of food storage and savings over time, as well as embracing “small and simple” means, which is a demonstration of faith that the Lord will magnify our small but consistent efforts.”

 

 

As you work towards your goal of having a long term storage of food, do not go to extremes.  Going into debt to achieve this goal is contrary to the principles of self-reliance.  Exercising your faith in Jesus Christ, through obedience to gospel principles, will guide you in your efforts.  As you do your very best, you can be confident that “the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail.”  You will enjoy greater wisdom, security, peace of mind, and personal well-being. The Lord does not expect us to do more than we can do, but He does expect us to do what we can do, when we can do it.  As President Nelson has said, “The Lord loves effort.”

 

As we embrace spiritual principles and seek inspiration from the Lord, we will be guided to know the Lord’s will for us, individually and as families, and how best to apply the important principles of temporal preparedness. The most important step of all is to begin.

 

President Henry B. Eyring posted to his Facebook page the statement, “The scriptures make the danger of delay clear.  It is that we may discover that we have run out of time.  (Facebook  Post January 8, 2015  President Eyring)

 

Elder L. Tom Perry counseled us to, “Acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life,” and “…we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year's supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over.”  (If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 36).

 

 

Joseph Smith said we would, …”do well to discern the signs of the times.” 

 

Brothers and sisters, we live in the Last Days.  The signs of the times in our day are events that were prophesied to take place in the latter days before the Second Coming of Christ. Signs are the recognizable events or occurrences which identify present events and which portend future events.  Those signs are all around us if we look.

 

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said the signs of the times “ [are] increasing in frequency and intensity.“ (Elder Dallin H. Oaks April 2004 General Conference"Preparation for the Second Coming")

 

 And President Eyring warned us,

 

"The giant earthquake, and the tsunamis it sent crashing into the coasts around the Indian Ocean, is just the beginning and a part of what is to come..."

(President Henry B. Eyring  BYU–Idaho Devotional, Jan. 25, 2005 "Raise the Bar")

 

 

President Benson spoke of these signs as well, stating, “I speak with a feeling of great urgency…Too often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine, and earthquake cannot happen here. Those who believe this are either not acquainted with the revelations of the Lord, or they do not believe them. Those who smugly think these calamities will not happen, that they somehow will be set aside because of the righteousness of the Saints, are deceived and will rue the day they harbored such a delusion.

The Lord has warned and forewarned us against a day of great tribulation and given us counsel, through His servants, on how we can be prepared for these difficult times. Have we heeded His counsel?”

(Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1980)

 

 

We have been commanded to watch and be ready.

 

 

 

Bishop McMullin said, “The feeling of peace and the desire to be faithful to the commandment given by the Lord through the modern prophet helps us feel the Holy Spirit, … to not be afraid, and to see that the signs of the time for the Second Coming of the Lord is a blessing and not something to fear. We rejoice in it. … It gives us the motivation to be faithful and endure to the end and to be saved and obtain eternal life.” (Bishop McMullin, Lay Up In Store)

 

 

Temporal preparedness is part of our preparation for the last days and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

 

Elder Bednar taught this principle when he said: “Taking action is the exercise of faith. … True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to action.”

 

 

Brothers and sisters, I add my voice of testimony to the words of our prophets and apostles.  I testify that obedience to the principles of food and home storage and self-reliance will bring peace of mind in these perilous times.  As we seek to become temporally prepared, we can face the trials of life with increased confidence, peace in our hearts, and like Joseph in Egypt, we will be able to say, “There was bread.”

 

 

 In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

 

 © Jason Robey 2022