September Ensign Message From Our Prophet

[mirkwood]

How seriously do we take the words of counsel from our leaders?  This is in the September Ensign.  We need to pay attention to our temporal salvation along with our spiritual salvation.  All things are spiritual to the Lord.

 

 

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/09/are-we-prepared?lang=eng


Are We Prepared?                            

 

By President Thomas S. Monson

 

 

In the vicinity where I once lived and served, the Church operated a poultry project, staffed primarily by volunteers from the local wards. Most of the time it was an efficiently operated project, supplying to the bishops’ storehouse thousands of fresh eggs and hundreds of pounds of dressed poultry. On a few occasions, however, being volunteer city farmers meant not only blisters on the hands but also frustration of heart and mind.

For instance, I shall ever remember the time we gathered the Aaronic Priesthood young men to give the project a spring-cleaning. Our enthusiastic and energetic throng assembled at the project and in a speedy fashion uprooted, gathered, and burned large quantities of weeds and debris. By the light of the glowing bonfires, we ate hot dogs and congratulated ourselves on a job well done.

However, there was just one disastrous problem. The noise and the fires so disturbed the fragile population of 5,000 laying hens that most of them went into a sudden molt and ceased laying. Thereafter we tolerated a few weeds so that we might produce more eggs.

No member of the Church who has helped provide for those in need ever forgets or regrets the experience. Industry, thrift, self-reliance, and sharing with others are not new to us.

We should remember that the best storehouse system would be for every family in the Church to have a supply of food, clothing, and, where possible, other necessities of life.

Of course there may be times when our members are in need of help from the Church. The Lord’s storehouse includes the time, talents, skills, compassion, consecrated material, and financial means of faithful Church members. These resources are available to the bishop in assisting those in need.

We urge all Latter-day Saints to be prudent in their planning, to be conservative in their living, and to avoid excessive or unnecessary debt. Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had a supply of food and clothing and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have a supply of debt and are food-free.

I repeat what the First Presidency declared a few years ago:

“Latter-day Saints have been counseled for many years to prepare for adversity by having a little money set aside. Doing so adds immeasurably to security and well-being. Every family has a responsibility to provide for its own needs to the extent possible.

“We encourage you wherever you may live in the world to prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from this bondage. Save a little money regularly to gradually build a financial reserve.”¹

Are we prepared for the emergencies in our lives? Are our skills perfected? Do we live providently? Do we have our reserve supply on hand? Are we obedient to the commandments of God? Are we responsive to the teachings of prophets? Are we prepared to give of our substance to the poor, the needy? Are we square with the Lord?

We live in turbulent times. Often the future is unknown; therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties. When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past.

 

 

 

[pam]

Thanks for posting this.  I think we are so much closer to needing to get ourselves prepared temporally then people realize.

[pam]

Here is something that came out just today on one of Utah's local news stations:

 

http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_13361.shtml

[Palerider]

I concur.....I also believe the time is near....we all need to be ready.

[yjacket]

Very interesting . . . .if the Prophet mentions something similar in the October GC, look out.

 

I can remember a very similar message in '98 and the dot-com crash came a year later.  I believe we are closer to the next recession than we are from the last one.

[mirkwood]

It's not enough that the topic is in the official monthly publication?

 

[Seminarysnoozer]

I think, too, being debt free and having food storage alleviates the need to focus on carnal things so much. We have finally got out of major debt recently and I find I have more time to focus on spiritual things.  I am not spending half my day trying to go over hospital bills and home bills and pushing money here and there to make sure we don't get into trouble.  Also by doing food storage I have found that we don't go out to eat as often and waste money that way.  Maybe that is a strange association but I have been more careful with my food purchases as well. 

 

By not focusing on carnal things as much we make ourselves more spiritual even if the "big event" doesn't occur soon.  I think it puts a new twist on the scripture verses; "31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

 

If one is living from paycheck to paycheck then the thought is always "what shall we eat, wherewithall shall we be clothed" etc. In other words, by not living on the credit card we dont think so much about where we are going to eat tonight or what clothes to buy.  Those options are often off the table when living within our means.

[skalenfehl]

It is definitely paramount to be temporally prepared, but it is more so imperative to continually prepare ourselves spiritually (filling our lamps with oil). The scriptures have shown us time and time again from the scourge of the northern kingdom of Israel by Assyria, the scourge of the southern kingdom of Judah by Babylon, to the scourge and desolation of Zarahemla and the scourging at Kirtland, Nauvoo, etc of the early latter-day saints. Each time the Lord's covenant people were destroyed and/or driven into the wilderness.

 

We read in Isaiah and other books, including the D&C that another scourge is coming. I believe it is fast upon us. But in each case, including Sodom and Gomorrah, the righteous were quietly gathered out. Lot and his family was gathered out by angels. Lehi and Mulek were gathered out from Jerusalem. There is no doubt in my mind that prior to the conquest of Assyria, the righteous were secretly gathered out and driven from the Northern Kingdom into the wilderness and led to their various promised lands.

 

The early saints were finally driven into the wilderness until they came to the Salt Lake Valley. And now the mountains of Ephraim, like all the others in history are ready to be made desolate. And who will be quietly gathered out before destruction is wrought upon us? Will angels (144,000 high priests) be gathering those who have watched for signs and have made themselves ready for the wedding feast of the Bridegroom? If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.

Edited August 28, 2014 by skalenfehl

[lds2]

I thought this was interesting as so many believe the gospel still has to go out to the world before the tribulations, but this seems to be saying that it is after Armageddon when those nations are "broken to pieces" when the 144,000 will go out to preach to the Jews and then the "heathen" nations.

 

Daniel 2:

34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.