My talk given in Sacrament meeting on March
8, 2015
Craig Ranch Ward, North Las Vegas Stake
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“For the earth is full, and there is enough
and to spare; yea, I prepared all things and have given unto the children of
men to be agents unto themselves” (Doctrine
&Covenants 104:17).
In an
October 1980 General Conference address from Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles, it reads:
I
marvel each year as I witness the system which the Lord has provided to supply
for the needs of His children here on the earth. Each spring I follow a piece
of string tied between two stakes to make a straight line, and with my hoe in
hand I proceed to drop two or three seeds into good, fertile soil. Each fall I
am overwhelmed with the bounteous harvest. Those few seeds have grown into tall
plants, and each seed for the most part has produced a full golden ear
containing more than a hundredfold of the original seed which was dropped into
the soil a few months earlier. Each season of harvest one must be overwhelmed
with humble gratitude for the blessings of the Lord to His
children.
The
Savior must have appreciated this process, for He used the example of this
growth cycle many times as He taught in parables during His earthly ministry.
We find lesson after lesson in His teachings using examples from the Lord’s
supply system. We find parables concerning the sower (in Matt.
13:3–23), the seed growing by itself (in Mark
4:26–29), the tares (in Matt.
13:24–30), the unfruitful fig tree (in Luke
13:6–9), the fig tree’s leaves (in Matt.
24:32–33), treasures hidden in a field (in Matt.
13:44), and many, many others.
Is it
any wonder we found His disciples teaching after His earthly ministry, (found
in Gal.
6:7) “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap”.
One
must be impressed with the great message of the Lord’s law of the harvest. His
system produces growth, multiplication, and abundant rewards. Surely as we
watch the blessings of this growth cycle each year, we would expect His
children to catch the vision of their mortal potential. He has entrusted to
many of His children during their earthly ministry the opportunity of caring
for His special creations—His sons and His daughters. It is surely the greatest
of all responsibilities which He has delegated to mankind.
In Galations 6:7 the Apostle Paul proclaimed an eternal
law when he declared that “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
This “law of the harvest” ties behavior and its consequences together in an
unbreakable relationship that has direct impact on every aspect of our
lives.
The
question arises, How do we apply this to our lives?
I am a
fan of self help literature. (and yes, the scriptures fall into that category!)
As I was preparing for my talk I noticed steps or a process arising besides the
two of sowing and reaping. I found 12 in
fact!
12
STEPS
1st
step – starts with a CHOICE When we have
the desire to grow our own gardens it begins with the choice to do so. It’s the decision we make to do
something. This very act is a simple
thing but without it, the outcome would not happen. In our own lives, we must make this same
choice for ourselves. What do we want
the outcome to be? Do we want eternal
salvation? Do we want everlasting
joy? Do we want our families to be
together forever? Do we want all the
blessings that the Lord has promised us if we but do our part? I hope that answer is yes. Yes, we want to be abundant in our rewards,
to obtain all that we are promised and to reach
the full measure of our creation. This leads
us right into the next step.
2nd
step – is an ETERNAL GOAL. Now that a
choice was made we have a goal in sight.
We must engrave it into our lives.
We must constantly remember the point of all the work ahead, that it has
an end goal. Just as wanting to taste
the fruit of the garden we plant, we also want to partake of the fruit of
ever-lasting life and the blessings that come with it.
Making these goals is not enough; we
must make a plan to carry them out.
3rd
step – is to PLAN
How do you make a plan to
achieve them? In a garden, you must gather the necessary tools, seeds and
materials needed to begin. This can be
applied to our lives starting by the way we live. What tools do we currently have? Do we have the scriptures, church resources,
friends and an environment that will help us obtain these goals? Do we need to seek out uplifting and good
things? Do we know which areas in our
life need to be addressed in order to help us with certain habits we want to
get rid of or to obtain? Do we need to
make some adjustments? The great thing
about a plan is it can always be adjusted as long as we start somewhere and are
constantly moving forward.
Another thing to remember is
time is essential—even a critical—element in your calculations. From where you
stand now, it may seem that you have an indefinite amount of time to accomplish
eternal things.
Everyone has time; it’s true.
But just because time passes doesn't mean we are making progress.
In (Alma
34:32) it reads “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet
God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their
labors”
4th
step – SEEDS
Like the flowers,
fruits, and vegetables we grow in our gardens, our lives reflect the nature of
the seeds we have planted.
A few of the many
seeds that can help produce a good harvest in our lives are:
·
A Christ-centered life
·
Humility
·
Perspective
·
An attitude of giving
·
A desire to work
·
Service
·
Acts of kindness
·
Testimony
·
Faith
·
Self-Reliance
·
Truth
·
A
love for the Temple
Some seeds lie dormant for years; others spring
forth immediately.
5th
step - LOCATION so we have our seeds, where do we put them? The answer is in the Lords territory and not
in the flesh.
The
Apostle Paul exhorts us about the importance of sowing in the Spirit and being
aware of not sowing in the flesh. He said:
“Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap.
“For
he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
“And
let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not” (Galatians 6:7–9).
We
have heard of sowing seeds into a garden… But what does it mean to sow seeds in
the Lords territory and to sow in the spirit.
It means that all our
thoughts, words, and actions must elevate us to the level of the divinity of
our heavenly parents. However, the scriptures refer to the flesh as the
physical or carnal nature of the natural man, which allows people to be influenced
by passion, desires, appetites, and drives of the flesh instead of looking for
inspiration from the Holy Ghost.
If we are not
careful, those influences together with the pressure of the evil in the world
may conduct us to adopt vulgar and reckless behavior which may become part of
our character. In order to avoid those bad influences, we have to follow what
the Lord instructed the Prophet Joseph Smith about continuously
sowing in the Spirit: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying
the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which
is great” (D&C 64:33).
To enhance our
spirit, it is required that we “let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from [us], with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31) and that we “be wise
in the days of [our] probation [and] strip [ourselves] of all uncleanness” (Mormon 9:28).
As we
study the scriptures, we learn that the promises made by the Lord to us are
conditional upon our obedience and encourage righteous living. Those promises
must nourish our soul, bringing us hope by encouraging us not to give up even
in the face of our daily challenges of living in a world whose ethical and
moral values are becoming extinct, thus motivating people to sow in the flesh
even more. But how can we be certain that our choices are helping us to sow in
the Spirit and not in the flesh?
President
George Albert Smith, repeating counsel from his grandfather, once said: “There
is a line of demarcation well defined between the Lord’s territory and
the devil’s territory. If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will
be under his influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to
the devil’s side of that line one inch you are in the tempter’s power and if he
is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly because
you will have lost the Spirit of the Lord” (Teachings of Presidents of the
Church: George Albert Smith [2011],
191).
Therefore,
our daily question must be, “Do my actions place me in the Lord’s or in the
enemy’s territory?”
Mormon
the prophet alerted his people about the importance of having the ability to
distinguish good from evil:
“Wherefore,
all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the
devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him
continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil
continually.
“But
behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually” (Moroni 7:12–13).
The
Light of Christ together with the companionship of the Holy Ghost must help us
determine if our manner of living is placing us in the Lord’s territory or not.
If our attitudes are good, they are inspired of God, for every good thing comes
from God. However, if our attitudes are bad, we are being influenced by the
enemy because he persuades men to do evil.
7th step –
WORK or the importance of hard work, of nourishing the garden or in other
words, the mind and soul.
Work is a blessing
from God. It is a fundamental principle of salvation, both spiritual and
temporal. When Adam was driven from his garden home, he was told that his bread
must be produced by his physical toil, by the sweat of his brow. Note carefully
the words found in Moses 4:23: “Cursed shall be
the ground for thy sake”, that is, for his
good or benefit. It would not be easy to master the earth; but that was his
challenge and his blessing, as it is ours.
We
are co creators with God. He gave us the capacity to do the work he left
undone, to harness the energy, mine the ore, transform the treasures of the
earth for our good. But most important, the Lord knew that from the crucible of
work emerges the hard core of character.
Work
has become a Mormon trademark. We are known throughout the world as a highly
motivated, industrious people.
We have a moral obligation to
exercise our personal capabilities of mind, muscle, and spirit in a way that will
return to the Lord, our families, and our society the fruits of our best
efforts. To do less is to live our lives unfulfilled. It is to deny ourselves
and those dependent upon us opportunity and advantage. We work to earn a
living, it is true; but as we toil, let us also remember that we are building a
life. Our work determines what that life will be.
Work is honorable. It is good
therapy for most problems. It is the antidote for worry. Work makes it possible
for the average to approach genius. What we may lack in aptitude, we can make
up for in performance.
We also need to remember
to prepare our own seedbed of faith. To do this we need to plow the soil
through daily humble prayer, asking for strength and forgiveness. We need to harrow
the soil by overcoming our feelings of pride. We need to prepare the seedbed by
keeping the commandments to the best of our ability. We need to be honest with
the Lord in the payment of our tithing and our other
offerings. We need to be worthy and able to call forth the great powers of the
priesthood to bless ourselves, our families, and others for whom we have
responsibility. There is no better place for the spiritual seeds of our faith
to be nurtured than within the hallowed sanctuaries of our temples and in our
homes.
It seems to be part
of our special nature to feel that no matter how hard you work and what you do,
it is never enough. Sometimes, despite
the fact that everyone else feels you have been spectacular, you may feel inadequate
and ineffective. Yet the excellent work you do, the kindness you show, and the
love you exhibit are blessings beyond measure to those who have the privilege
of associating with you. And it is enough.
8th step –
TIME changes don’t happen in a day. It can take a long time to see the results of
what you’ve sown.
An example of this is
comes from a young man on his mission.
It is not always possible to know the consequences of one single
contact. For years William R. Wagstaff, who served in the North Central States
Mission from 1928 to 1930, felt disappointed he had not baptized more people.
In the summer of 1929 he and his companion visited a farm family about 180 miles west
of Winnipeg.
“Brother
Wagstaff remembered giving a copy of the Book of Mormon to the mother and
discussing the gospel with her during numerous visits through that and the
following summer. “He recalled that
during each visit ‘she’d take off her apron and we’d sit down and discuss the gospel.
She’d read and have lots of questions.’ “But
at the close of his mission, she still had not been baptized, and he lost touch
with her.”
Brother
Wagstaff went home, married, and raised a family. Then in October 1969 he and
his wife attended his missionary reunion. “A lady approached him and asked,
‘Aren’t you Elder Wagstaff?’ “… She
introduced herself as the woman he had taught on the farm outside Winnipeg. In
her hand was a worn copy of the Book of Mormon—the one he had given her 40
years earlier. “‘She showed me the
book,’ he related. ‘I turned over the front and there was my name and address.’ “She then told Brother Wagstaff about 60
members of her family were members of the Church, including a branch
president.”
Elder Wagstaff
planted the seed during his mission but went home while it was still in the
ground. Forty years later he learned of the rich harvest that eventually had
come to pass and that “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
9th step –
PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance is
demonstrated by those who keep going when the going gets tough, who don’t give
up even when others say, “It can’t be done.”
Our latter-day
prophets are all examples of determination through priesthood, prayer, and work.
Joseph Smith’s perseverance made
possible the Restoration of all things. All of his life he was treated with
contempt and ridicule—from the time he first related the account of the First
Vision to a preacher of a prominent religion. But he never faltered and left
with us his unwavering testimony.
Another example was at
the first press conference when President Gordon B. Hinckley was introduced to
the press as the President of the Church in 1995. He was asked what his focus would be and
answered: “Carry on. Yes. Our theme will be to carry on the great work which
has been furthered by our predecessors.”
This is a great theme for all of us. We need
to carry on and endure to the end.
10th step –
REPLANTING if needed
It’s important
to realize that we thrive where replanting is a constant process, and when we
realize that a one-time planting at the beginning doesn’t ensure a perennial
harvest. Each new day should be filled with planting, cultivating, and weeding.
One day missed can lead to a week, or a year, missed—and the garden may soon
become overgrown with brambles and briars. However, as with gardens, neglected
behaviors can be renovated with careful replanting, meticulous care, and a
great deal of patience.
11th step –
REAPING or to gather, harvest, or receive.
Another action!
If you plant cucumber
seeds, you get cucumber vines and cucumber blossoms, and, eventually,
cucumbers. You’ll never get cauliflower from cucumber seeds. If we sow acts of
kindness, we reap friendship and happiness.’”
“But if we sow evil and unkindness, then we
reap the consequences—unhappiness and sadness.”
For
some we may be reaping what others before us have laid down before us. Even so, in D&C 86:7, it states that the
final reaping will occur only when the
Father determines that the world is “fully ripe.”
12 –CONSEQUENCES a result or effect of an action or
condition. They can be good or bad. Some of the good consequences of you harvest
can be:
·
Eternal
Salvation
·
Righteous
families
·
Happiness
·
Joy
·
Fullness
of the Gospel
·
Prospering
in the land
·
Friendships
·
Peace
·
Eternal
life
Only
those who endure in righteousness unto the end will receive eternal life.
It is here where we experience everlasting joy. We receive all the blessings that the Lord
has promised us because we did our part.
One of my favorite sayings is: “We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions;
we sow our actions, and we reap our habits; we sow our habits, and we reap our
characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.”
I pray that our harvest will be blessed with the fullness the
Lord has promised to us because we have lived worthy of meriting His blessings.
He lives to lead and guide and bless us
with His love.
May we be blessed with the faith to follow His way, which will
lead us to life eternal, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
