Friday, December 26, 2014

Lesson #48--Bruce


O.T. Lesson 48: “The Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord”

Malachi 3-4; Zechariah 10–14

Bruce Lott

Of what crime does Malachi 3:8 charge the people?             How so?


“One day a friend wanted me to go with him to his ranch. He opened the door of a new automobile … and said, ‘How do you like my new car?’ We rode in luxurious air-conditioned comfort through the countryside to an elegant landscaped home, and he said with no little pride, ‘This is my home.’
“He drove on to [an overlook]…. With a wide sweeping gesture, he boasted, ‘From the clump of trees, to the lake, to the bluff, and to the ranch buildings and all between—all this is mine. And the herd of cattle in the meadow—those are mine, too….
“My friend was proud that he had developed his ranch from the desert with his own strength and toil, but where had he obtained that strength and where had he obtained the land and the water with which to make it productive, if not from the Lord?
“If the earth is the Lord's, then we are merely tenants and owe our landlord an accounting….  There is no place in holy writ where God has said, ‘I give you title to this…’  It is not ours to give, to have, to hold, to sell, despoil, exploit as we see fit.”
(President Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, 283.)

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What is promised in Malachi 3:10?

“The Lord was not promising material wealth … but that [the faithful] would prosper in righteousness” (President Ezra Taft Benson April 1986 CR). “[R]eal prosperity” is “growth in a knowledge of God, and in a testimony, and in the power to live the gospel” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant; 124).

“Pay[ing] tithes and offerings … will not ensure riches—indeed, there is no guarantee that we will be free from economic problems —but it will … create a communion with the Savior that will enhance a person’s inner core of strength and stability” (President James E. Faust, First Presidency Message, February 1998 Ensign, 3).

           “Spiritual illumination and perspective are poured out through the windows of heaven and into our lives as we honor the law of tithing” (Elder David A. Bednar, Oct 2013 CR; quoted in online Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, www.lds.org).

How might God give us spiritual illumination and perspective?
(See, e.g., Moses 1:1-10)

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What did God promise in Malachi 3:11?

“The animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, the whole earth and all things pertaining to it, except man … abide the law of their Creator” (President Brigham Young, JD 9:246). In contrast, “the world … has never been under [God’s] control” (Elder John Taylor, 1852, The Government of God, 85).  “This world … belongs to Satan. He created it; he is its father and its god.… The earth itself is the Lord's, and He is its ruler; but the world (the corrupt society on earth) is under the rule of him who is the god of this world.” (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 324.)
What should be our motivation for paying tithes and offerings?




“There can be a distinct element of selfishness in [giving]—one may give, because to do so makes [one feel proud or appear] religious. But the help given by the [righteous] is wholly different.” (See President Marion G. Romney, Oct 1977 CR.)

“Our [obedience] should be for the love of God and [His children] rather than for … any other lesser motive” including, “in ascending order,” “increase[d] income,” “worldly honors, prominence, or power”, “fear of punishment”, “a sense of duty”, or even “the hope of an eternal reward,” because all such “lesser” motives are ultimately “selfish” (See Elder Dallin H. Oaks, October 1984 CR).

Is that really possible?

            “Our society is permeated with the suggestion that selfishness [is] acceptable or even respectable” (President James E. Faust, Apr 1983 CR).

 “[A]ll of us … are subtly and constantly encouraged to believe . . . that living selfishly is natural and commendable” (President Susan L. Warner, Apr 1996 CR).

“Selfishness is really self-destruction in slow motion” but “with the shedding of selfishness … we see our luminous and true identity” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April 1999 and October 1990 CR).  “We torture our souls when we focus on getting rather than giving” (President James E. Faust, October 2002 CR).


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re Zechariah 12:10; 13:6) Why did Jesus let those things happen to Him?



“[F]ollowing the Savior means overcoming selfishness…. [T]he ultimate selfless act in all of history [was] when the Savior gave His life … to atone for our sins….  [H]e did it without any thought of recompense or recognition.”
(President James E. Faust, October 2002 CR.)

“Jesus said His disciples must ‘love one another; as I have loved you…’  To the very end of his mortal life ... He was anxiously attending to the present and future needs of [others]…. His entire energies [were] directed toward their needs.”
(Elder Howard W. Hunter, April 1974 CR.)


“During this Christmas season and always,
may we give to Him by loving as He loves”
(President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 1st Presidency Message, Dec 2014 Ensign).

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