30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore,
the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which
charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing.
Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in
Zion to perish.
31 But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if
they labor for money they shall perish.
32 And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should
not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they
should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not
envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with
another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of
these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish.
33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he
doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save
it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him
and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and
white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all
are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.
How do you deal with priestcraft? Living God’s commandment that we should have charity. Moroni, writing the word of Mormon shared his definition of charity.
“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth
forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well
with him.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with
all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath
bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may
become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified
even as he is pure. Amen” (Moroni
7:47-48).
Those involved in priestcraft think of themselves first,
foremost, and always. And, when they get
around to it, we may do things for others.
Priestcraft is me at the expense of others.
James gave us a wonderful definition of charity, pure
religion. “Pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the vices of the world.” (JST
James 1:27).
Nephi makes clear those who labor “in Zion shall labor for
Zion” (2 Nephi 26:31). Whoever works for money will perish.
Jacob would remind the Nephites:
“Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be
familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto
you.
“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of
God.
“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain
riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to ado
good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive,
and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:17-19).
The Lord would tell Hyrum Smith, “Seek not for riches but
for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and
then shall you be made rich. Behold, he
that hath eternal life is rich” (D&C 11:7).
Don Norton explains:
“The problem of a materialistic outlook on life is that it
produces a false sense of security—as if humans have things under control.
(Some critics lay similar blame on another sacrosanct feature of our modern
world—technology.) If the Book of Mormon has one great message, it is the danger
of the love and inequitable distribution of material things. In every case, the
Nephite slide into corruption begins with the words ‘costly apparel’ (or as we
would say today, ‘designer clothes’). The charge is clear: ‘But the laborer in
Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish’ (2
Nephi 26:31). ‘It is the love of money and the love of those things which money
can buy which destroys us. The love of [money] . . . warps our values . . . and
fosters selfishness and greed,’ President Gordon B. Hinckley warned priesthood
bearers as recently as the April 1997 General Conference.”[1]
We have been commanded not to murder, lie, steal, take the
name of the Lord in vain, envy, have malice, contend with one another, and not
commit whoredoms. If we do, then we
shall perish.
No iniquities come from the Lord. He does good for all men. All are invited to come and partake of the
goodness of the Lord. No one is
denied. Be they “black and white, bond
and free, male and female, and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike
unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33).
[1] Working
toward Zion: Principles of the United Order for the Modern World, reviewed by
Don Norton, Maxwell Institute.
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