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.
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