A talk given in Verdemont Ward and University Heights Ward this morning:
Brothers and sisters, I am grateful to be here with you today. It is always a pleasure to worship with you. I bring you love and greetings from President Garvin and his Counselors. They love you, and they pray for you. It is a privilege to serve with these great men, and to be strengthened by their spirit and their wisdom.
I pray that the Holy Ghost will attend us today, so that we may communicate as the Lord intends.
One of the most important parts of our work here on earth is to encourage each other to live those important laws that influence our success and happiness. This is one of the reasons that high councilors are invited to address you throughout the year. We are called to help you as you strive to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to encourage you to keep the covenants you have made.
It is a labor of love for me as I prepare to speak each month. I have felt challenged, but never burdened by the responsibility to teach you the gospel truths the Lord desires you to hear. I hope that you do not feel burdened by the responsibility to listen.
In April Conference, several of the speakers mentioned that we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Church’s Welfare Program. This has played a significant role in blessing the lives of our members temporally, so that they can also enjoy the spiritual blessings the Lord offers. You see, if I am worried about where my next meal is coming from, then I lose focus on the Spirit.
But the Lord’s concern for the poor did not begin in 1936. In fact, in the scriptures, we first read about this in Exodus, when the Lord gave his law to the children of Israel. “And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat” (Ex. 23:10 - 11) .
And in Leviticus: “And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger” (Lev. 19:9 - 10).
Later on, Ezekiel warned Israel: “The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully” (Eze. 22:29). Thus the land was cursed, in part because Israel did not take care of their poor. This sounds a little bit like today.
The Savior also emphasized caring for the poor. In speaking to the rich young man, he said: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven” (Matt. 19:21).
In our day, too, the Lord has emphasized caring for the poor. In fact, caring for the poor is a part of establishing Zion. We read of the City of Enoch: “And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Mos. 7:18).
Now I don’t believe for a minute that Enoch was able to provide full employment for everyone within his stewardship. Those are not the kind of miracles I believe in. Rather, I believe that the people of Enoch, as a part of their process of perfection, were true to their covenants to share their goods with those who were truly in need. This is one of the most important characteristics of Zion.
We are also under covenant to care for the poor. Webster says that a covenant is “a binding and solemn agreement made by two or more individuals ... to do or keep from doing a specified thing.
Each of us who has received his or her endowments in the temple has made some very specific covenants to care for the poor. But we also covenanted at baptism that we would do this.
Look back at Alma, in Mosiah, chapter 18, when he said: “Behold, here are the waters of Mormon … and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
9 “Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, … and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10 “Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
11 “And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts” (Msh. 18:8 - 11).
I hope that we feel that same desire, and the same excitement. As we ponder these verses, it becomes obvious that every person who is baptized and receives the gift of the Holy Ghost, which seals the ordinance, is under solemn covenant with the Lord to obey his commandments. As we further study the scriptures, it is very clear that caring for the poor is one of those commandments.
Less than a year after the Church was organized, the Lord began to instruct Joseph Smith relative to the poor.
In Section 38, he says, “For your salvation I give unto you a commandment.” Now I think that would be a pretty good reason to pay attention: “for my salvation.”
He continues: “Wherefore hear my voice and follow me ...
“... let every man esteem his brother as himself. ...
“I say unto you [meaning the members of the Church], be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine. ...
“And now, I give unto the church ... a commandment, that certain men among them ... shall look to the poor and the needy, and administer to their relief that they shall not suffer” (D&C 38:16, 22, 24-27, 34-35).
Just over a month later, the Lord commanded, “And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support ... with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken.” Then he adds: “And inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me” (D&C 42:29-31).
A few weeks later, the Lord said again, “Behold, I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief” (D&C 44:6).
In June of 1831, the Lord instructed: “remember … the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple” (D&C 52:40). This is serious stuff!
And there is even more, in Sections 56, 84 and 104. Do you get the feeling that this is important to the Lord?
If you remember your church history, shortly after the Kirtland Temple was dedicated, fast and testimony meetings were begun, being held in the temple on the first Thursday of each month. The Thursday fast day continued until 1896, when the First Presidency changed it to the first Sunday, to accommodate those who could not miss work on Thursdays.
With the beginning of fast days in Kirtland, the Prophet instituted the fast offering fund. Most commonly, the actual food was given instead of money. In Nauvoo in 1845, the Quorum of the Twelve sent a general letter to the Church instructing members to contribute food that might have been eaten during the regular fast day, or to make donations of money that would be the equivalent of two meals or more "as those who are liberally inclined and have the means may feel disposed to give."
This practice was not observed consistently until 1857. Because of the problems with the crickets, which actually occurred over several years, Brigham Young actively encouraged the Saints to contribute fast offerings to help those who had lost their crops. This was when fast day and fast offerings became a regular part of our worship.
As time passed, donations in kind ceased, and today we contribute cash for our fast offerings.
Today, the law of the fast is explained in the Church Handbook of Instructions: “A proper fast day observance includes abstaining from food or drink for two consecutive meals in a 24-hour period, attending fast and testimony meeting, and giving a generous fast offering to help care for those in need.” (21.1.17)
There are three significant elements to Fast Day: attending our meetings, the fast itself, and fast offerings. Let us look at each one.
Fast and testimony meeting is a very important part of our Fast Sunday. We unite with our brothers and sisters and share testimony and strengthen one another. Even those who are not physically able to fast can enjoy the blessings of increased spirituality by attending their meetings on Fast Sunday.
Not everyone is able to fast. Certain health conditions make fasting difficult or even unwise. Even if you cannot fast physically, you can still join us in our fast spiritually, and you can reap the same blessings. It is important to have the attitude that “I would fast if I could.”
We also should not ask our young children to fast beyond their ability. When our children were baptized, we asked them to fast one meal, and by the time they turned twelve, we encouraged them to fast two. Now that they are young adults, we hope that they will still choose to fast and to enjoy the blessings that come from fasting.
Fasting is perhaps the most difficult part of living the law of the fast. The Lord asks us to go without food or drink for two consecutive meals.
Even if we fast just because it is a commandment, we will be blessed for our obedience. But what other blessings do we gain through fasting?
1. Fasting brings us closer to the Spirit. As we fast, we briefly set aside our temporal desires and come closer to our Heavenly Father.
2. Fasting helps us to develop self-control. Everything in our world seems to be about gratifying the natural man or woman. As we fast regularly, we begin to overcome the lusts of the flesh, and our spiritual selves gain power over our physical selves.
3. Fasting is a healthy habit. But not if you have diabetes, or some other health conditions. Scientific research indicates that it is good for our digestive systems to take a rest periodically, and some researchers have suggested that 30 days is a good interval.
4. Fasting helps us to gain greater spiritual power. Christ’s apostles learned this when they could not cast out an evil spirit: “This kind goeth not out but by fasting and prayer” (Matt. 17:21).
The sons of Mosiah learned a similar lesson: “But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God” (Alma 17:3).
5. Through fasting, we reap a particular spiritual benefit that can come to us in no other way. It is a sanctification of the soul for us today just as it was for some choice people who lived 2,000 years ago. “Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Hel. 3:35). Wouldn’t you like this to happen to you? It can, you know!
Please note that their souls were filled with “joy and consolation.” The world teaches that when we do without anything, it is a time for “sackcloth and ashes.”
6. By living the law of the fast, we have the opportunity to bless others. Fasting humbles the rich, exalts the poor, and sanctifies both.
Fasting without prayer is not complete fasting. The two coupled together are a source of great spiritual strength.
I bear you my witness that fasting and prayer is an incomparable source of personal spiritual power. I have fasted and prayed on many occasions when I needed to make important decisions. The Lord did not bless me with the answers I sought until I had fasted and prayed and drawn closer to Him. But I was blessed with direction and guidance once I had paid the price.
It is also important that we be willing to accept the answer we receive from the Lord, and to act on it. Spiritually speaking, the nearer we get to the Father, the more we want to do what he expects of us.
When we unite in fasting and prayer with others, we also feel more united with one another. This is a tremendous blessing. I have enjoyed the unity I have felt as my wife and I have fasted and prayed together concerning decisions or struggles. We have also felt this unity with our extended families. Brothers and sisters, this power is real!
When we fast, we feel hunger. There is no avoiding that. And during those brief moments of hunger, we literally put ourselves in the position of the hungry and the needy. As we do so, we gain a greater understanding of how they must feel. And so we develop compassion for those who are struggling.
Fast offerings have long been the foundation of the Church Welfare Program. As members, we have been instructed to fast for two meals each month, then give to the Church a fast offering at least equal to the value of the food we would have eaten. If possible, we should be generous and give more.
When I was much younger, President Spencer W. Kimball counseled us: “Sometimes we have been a bit too penurious [and if you don’t have your dictionary with you, that means stingy] and figured that we had an egg for breakfast and that cost so many cents and then we give that to the Lord. I think that when we are affluent, as many of us are, that we ought to be very, very generous …
“I think we should be generous and give, instead of the amount we saved by our two meals of fasting, perhaps much, much more---ten times more where we are in a position to do it.”
Our Church is unique in that every dollar we donate as fast offerings goes directly to help the poor. There are no administrative costs attached to the services we provide.
Because of this, we should feel more generous with our means as we seek to help our brothers and sisters.
The fast offering funds are used in many different ways. Fast offering funds help many of our less fortunate brothers and sisters pay their rent. Last winter, fast offerings helped keep their apartments or homes warm. Fast offerings may also help people get to work; they may help purchase needed medicines or pay medical bills in times of need. Fast offerings in combination with the labor of skilled members may repair air conditioners or cars or someone’s plumbing. The fast offerings that you give are used to help those who live in this ward. Any surplus funds are used first in our stake, and what remains over is sent to Salt Lake to be used wherever the need is greatest. Fast offerings also help to stock the shelves of the Bishops’ Storehouse, which provides much needed food and commodities for the poor in our area.
If you would like to feel the spirit of this great work of salvation, go spend part of a day at the Bishops’ Storehouse in Colton and fill food orders. You will leave with a spirit of gratitude for this temporal part of the Lord’s plan to bless his children.
Bishop Ward, who holds the keys in the University Heights Ward, has been commissioned of the Lord to discern the needs of the poor within the ward boundaries. The Lord assists him in determining who needs help, and what kind of help they should receive. He relies on the Lord for strength and inspiration in performing this important assignment.
I testify to you that he is guided by the Lord as he carries out his sacred mandate, working closely with President Garvin, who also exercises the keys that he holds. This work is carried out quietly and as anonymously as possible. Our Bishops do not publicize who receives assistance. Frequently, only he and the Finance Clerk (who must sign the checks) know who is receiving assistance.
Self-respect is an important principle in church welfare. Thus you can be assured that your conversations with the bishop are held in strictest confidence, and if the Relief Society President visits to help you with a food order, she will treat you with compassion and dignity.
These fast offering funds are treated as sacred funds. Those who receive them should also treat all that they receive as sacred, consecrated blessings. After all, I sacrifice a little to help bless your lives. The beauty of it is that you do not know who is actually helping you, and I do not know whom I am helping. Only the Bishop and the Lord know that.
In keeping with the principle of self-respect, nothing is just given away. There are no free rides in the Lord’s kingdom. Bishop Ward will ask you to do some service in return for the assistance you receive. (Of course, this is based on your own skills and abilities.) He will also ask you to attend your meetings, if you are not doing so already.
The Lord also expects that all who receive assistance be full tithepayers. Elder Lynn Robbins of the Seventy said in Conference, “One of the first things a bishop must do to help the needy is ask them to pay their tithing. … if a destitute family is faced with the decision of paying their tithing or eating, they should pay their tithing. The bishop can help them with their food and other basic needs until they become self-reliant.”
President Hinckley taught us that “if we would pay our tithing, we will always have food on our tables, we will always have clothing on our backs, and we will always have a roof over our heads.”
When the prophet promises such great blessings to us, we should stop asking “Can we afford to pay tithing?” and ask “Can we afford not to pay tithing?” We all need the blessings of the Lord in our lives, whether we have worldly riches or not.
All of this points us to the celestial order of living, and prepares us for the time when we might be asked to consecrate our all to help strengthen the Church and its members. And in the end, that unites us and brings each of us closer to the Lord.
Whenever the Lord gives a commandment, there are always blessings attached. I find that these blessings far exceed what little the Lord requires of us.
As we unselfishly give of our means, the Lord has promised that he will bless us in many ways. These blessings will not always be material blessings. He has promised that we will feel an increased closeness to the Spirit in our lives. Who does not need that? We begin to feel less selfish, and we feel eager to bless the lives of those around us.
Isaiah spoke of some wonderful blessings in chapter 58 (READ vv. 6-11, AND COMMENT). I particularly like the promise that the Lord will answer our prayers!
King Benjamin taught us: “for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.” (Msh. 4:26)
Who does not need a remission of their sins?
President Marion G. Romney spoke frequently of the fast and fast offerings. Some years ago he extended this promise to us: “it has been, and now is, the desire and the objective of the Church to obtain the necessary funds to meet the cash needs of the welfare program.” He added: “We can, we ought, and we must do better.” Then the promise: “If we will double our fast offerings we shall increase our prosperity, both spiritually and temporally. This the Lord has promised, this has been the record.”
The most important blessing that comes through living the Law of the Fast, or as some call it, the Lord’s Law of Generosity, is that we begin to develop the pure love of Christ, which is the greatest of the Gifts of the Spirit. This is the one gift that we should all be striving to develop.
Why are fast offerings connected with the pure love of Christ? The Lord himself has said: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40). King Benjamin added, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Msh. 2:17).
So we should be mindful of Mormon’s exhortation to his son Moroni: “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” (Mni. 7:48).
As we become pure, we have an increased desire to keep our covenants. And as we keep our covenants, we will be better prepared to love and serve those around us who are in need. As we strengthen these good neighbors, we will build Zion here in San Bernardino.
The prophets have taught us that there is no reason that even the most recently organized branch cannot take care of itself if we pay our fast offerings.
Joseph Smith taught: “Let this be an [example] to all saints, and there will never be any lack for bread: When the poor are starving, let those who have, fast one day and give what they otherwise would have eaten to the bishops for the poor, and every one will abound for a long time. … And so long as the saints will all live to this principle with glad hearts and cheerful countenances they will always have an abundance.”
Part of what Joseph says to me here is not to grumble about paying my fast offerings --- not to be concerned about who is receiving assistance --- but to be happy and thankful that I am able to help.
Now brothers and sisters, I would like to offer a challenge to you. It is this: will you go home today and as a family commit to yourselves and to the Lord that you will increase your fast offerings? You know what you can do. Some may be able to double or triple what you currently pay; some may only be able to add a few dollars each month. But will you commit to this sacrifice? To show the Lord that you love him and his children? If you have concerns about this, please counsel with your Bishop. He will be happy to advise you.
I testify that if you will do this, the Lord will pour out his richest blessings upon you. He will fulfill the promises made by President Hinckley. More particularly, he will bless you with an increased level of spirituality, a better ability to resist temptation, and with charity, the pure love of Christ. You will indeed become more Christlike.
I testify that the Lord seeks to bless us if we will just keep his commandments. “And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you” (Msh. 2:22).
God lives! He loves us, even with all our weaknesses. He sent his Son to atone for our sins so that we can return to Him. Jesus Christ is our Savior. This is His true church. I know that it is His will that we do all we can to bless the lives of His children, and that in doing so, we will be blessed.
Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
