Introduction

It may seem a little difficult at first, but when a person begins to catch a vision of the true work, when he begins to see something of eternity in its true perspective, the blessings begin to far outweigh the cost of leaving “the world” behind. - Spencer W. Kimball¹

A convert friend of mine was on her way to the temple for her own endowment. Knowing a little of the serious nature of the promises you make there, she tried to ease herself, saying, “Well, at least we don’t live the law of consecration anymore!” In about an hour and a half she would be surprised to find out that, in fact, we do live the law of consecration—at least we agree to. She had received the missionary discussions prior to baptism, was fellowshipped by good members before and after baptism, and faithfully studied the scriptures and attending Church. Despite it all, my friend did not understand that you not only covenant to live the law of consecration in the temple, but you are already bound by the same law by virtue of baptism. How did she get through all these fantastic members and missionaries without getting it? She had attended institute and sacrament meeting and Sunday school faithfully. Is it really possible that the subject of the law of consecration was never addressed? The answer is that the law of consecration is almost never addressed in these settings. Even when it is addressed, it is always in a superficial and basic manner.

One reason that our teaching of consecration is lacking is the misunderstanding of what it means to live it today. You cannot teach what you do not know, and many do not know what the law of consecration is. Some seem to believe that you make that covenant in the temple in anticipation of a time when you will again be commanded to live the United Order. They believe that the United Order was the full version of the law of consecration. They see the United Order like the first set of commandments received by Moses (which were later destroyed) and the contemporary law of consecration like the second set of tablets, the law of Moses, a preparatory version of the full law under which you are obligated to yield up your goods and services when explicitly asked to do so by a priesthood leader. They might explain that a modern example of the law of consecration would be when the Bishop asks to use your large vehicle for a ward scout campout, or when the Elder’s Quorum President assigns you to volunteer for a shift at the cannery. Though this is certainly within the set of all applications of the law of consecration, the fullness of what you should be living today is so much more. Limiting yourself to this definition is like claiming that the law of Moses is the fulness of the Gospel, precluding all of the blessings of the Melchezidek Priesthood, including the temple and everything associated with it!

Living the law of consecration at this basic level will entitle us to basic blessings. This application is watered down in the extreme, and as is standard in the gospel, without living the greater principle, the greater blessings will be withheld. Those who do not live the full law of consecration cannot reap the rewards for living the full law of consecration.

So what is the full definition of the law of consecration? To consecrate is to make holy, or to use for holy purposes. The law of consecration is the pinnacle covenant whereby you explicitly commit to use all of your time, talents, and energy for God’s purposes—at all times, and in all places. That includes when called those in It also includes specifically upon by authority. opportunities that you can and should seek out yourself. It includes the time, talents, and energy which you have now, and it includes the increased time, talents, and energy which you could have in the future if you live to prepare for such. So you see that far from being a watered-down version of the United Order, or some dormant commandment waiting to be activated by a priesthood request, the law of consecration is a live and active commandment with implications for practically every decision you make in life: from what you do for a living, to how much you work, to how and when you play, to how much and what to study, to where you live and what sort of place you live in. It is a big deal!

Some may think that you first promise to live consecrated lives with a covenant administered in the temple. In reality, the temple covenant is only a reinforcement of the covenant of consecration made for the first time at baptism.² Between the two events, and weekly ever after, the covenant is reaHrmed as you agree once again to take the name of Christ upon yourself with the sacrament. Perhaps the repetition is meant to highlight changes which must be made as your understanding of the meaning of the covenant increases throughout your life.

A consecrated disciple of Christ is one who does all that he does in order to build the kingdom of God. He not only seeks first to build the kingdom of God, but he seeks only to build the of God. in his life this kingdom Everything fits purpose. Whatever does not is removed. Whatever he could do but is not doing is added.

Those who feel that aspects of their lives do not fit into the prescribed parameters should understand that, with a proper understanding of the reach of the plan of salvation, there is no good thing which is not circumscribed by God’s plan. Therefore, it is likely that some of the seemingly inappropriate behaviors are in fact quite appropriate, while some the of the accepted behaviors are actually not so acceptable. In each of our lives, certain things must go and others must be added as our understanding of God’s plan increases. Yet, true disciples welcome further light and knowledge because they trust that God knows better than they about what will bring happiness. And the fullness of happiness cannot be obtain by living a remidial-level law of consecration.

To show the emptiness of the status quo, and to temper trepidation of the extreme, let us consider a consecrated view of tithing, a simple commandment which is more familiar and less daunting than the standard of liberty hoisters or those that wall-climbing gospel preachers who persevere at peril of stones and arrows. The standard explanation of tithing is that someone gives you ten items, and then tells you that in exchange for those ten, you have to give one back. They say, “the Lord gives us ten and asks for one back. The other nine can as you spend you please.”

This is an elementary explanation of the principle. There are parts of the true law of tithing that are excluded for simplicity in the preceding explanation—but do the missionaries even realize this? To fully understand tithing, you must change the way that you explain it.

Tithing is not the Lord’s tax. Tithing is not a returned portion of what he has given you. Everything that God gives you is his to give, and remains his even after he gives it. In other words, that have it It is on loan to see nothing you truly yours. given how you will use it. It is God’s. You are his agent to use it to but for his and according your judgment, always purposes, always with the anticipation of accounting to him for what you do with it.

In Luke 19:12-27 the Savior gives the parable of the pounds. Particular attention should be given to verse 23 where the nobleman in the parable says to his servant who had not increased his stewardship, “Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?” How can you doubt that the Lord intends to retain full ownership of what he has trusted us with, and expects us to wisely use it for his purposes?

Instead of saying that the Lord asks us to return one tenth of what he gives us, you should say that the Lord explicitly dictates how one tenth of what he gives us is to be used. And the rest? With the rest, you are to build the kingdom as best you can. He will judge you in how you use it based on your talents, abilities, opportunities, and the desire of your heart.

The principle is simple, yet remains untaught by missionaries, and sacrament alike. Are we scared parents, speakers Why? that we might frighten on an otherwise willing investigator by explaining that everything they thought was theirs to this moment in life is really the Lord’s? Are we afraid that children won’t understand?

Perhaps some would not be baptized if they fully understood we some doctrines are not why pay tithing. Though deeper appropriate to be taught prior to the reception of the Holy Ghost, joining while lacking such a foundational understanding of the totality of the covenant is akin to making a contract under false pretense. It should be no surprise when such do not home teach, visit teach, or do missionary work after joining the Church. Can those converts or children be blamed for not spending the 90% as the Lord would? How will their abridged understanding of tithing bleed over into abridged obedience in other areas? How will they spend their time, talents, and energies? Do they have reason to think that their time is not their own? Do any they have any reason to think their talents are not just for their own use? Why should they accept priesthood assignments—especially those that fall outside of “church hours”—on “their” time? They weren't. were never taught anything different.

Those who do accept the Church despite a deeper understanding of consecration will always be available when called upon by the Lord or his servants. They were taught properly. “Therefore, they are without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads.”³

The Lord himself taught the expanded principle of tithing in the parable of the unjust servant. He tells the story of a man who gives a variable amount of money to his servants, measured in weights called talents. He then leaves. Upon returning, he finds that the servant to whom he gave five talents has, through his wisdom, gained five more talents in interest. The man is pleased, and rewards the servant with greater responsibility. The servant who received two talents likewise doubled his master’s loaned money, and is blessed with greater responsibility. The servant who was given only one talent fails to improve upon it, and thus is called a “wicked and slothful servant.” The talent is taken away from the last servant, and given to the one who had ten talents.⁴

When you pay your tithing and spend the remaining money without regard to the Lord’s desires for it, you are the last servant, who gives back only what is explicitly asked.

In effect, God gives you your increase and says, “Give ten percent to my Church for its maintenance. Use your agency and wisdom to decide how to best build the kingdom with the other ninety percent.”

Why should the same not be true for everything God has given us, and not just money?

Consecration isn’t only a proactive approach to tithing. It is a consummate approach to living. To illustrate, consider a full-time missionary. He leaves his family, his girlfriend, his possessions, his education—everything except his duty to preach the gospel. After two years of pure focus on building the kingdom, he returns to the world. His is that this focus on perception the kingdom came with the call to be a full-time missionary. Logically, he follows that with the release from the call, he is released back into the world, freed from his full-time obligation to build the kingdom.

This is perhaps one of the most tragic misunderstandings within the Church today. The truth is that, though released from his authority to represent the Church, he is not released from full-time kingdom building. In fact, his obligation to fulltime kingdom building did not begin when he was call to be a missionary. It began when he was baptized a member of the Church. It was reinforced upon ordination to the priesthood, and further reinforced when he was endowed. The mission is not when young men become full-time kingdom builders, but simply when most realize their long-standing duty for the first time. Unfortunately, most fallaciously consider it a duty with an expiration date of two years.

Religion is not a part of life. Life is a part of religion. That is what consecration teaches us. That is what the return missionary realizes as he returns home. The return missionary’s challenge is not to pick up life where he left on. If he does so, he has missed one of the biggest messages of the mission. The return missionary’s challenge is to restructure post-mission life according to the pattern of kingdom building he learned in two years of explicit service to the Lord. His post-mission life may include some elements of what he was doing before—but under a diweren't motive. Now, he sees the big picture. He sees how he in his life leads to the everything places building kingdom. Before the mission, religion was a piece of his life. Afterward, he realizes that mortal life is in fact merely a piece of his religion. Everything he does must be circumscribed by the gospel, or it has no place. He may find himself doing some of the same things—scripture study, work, study, dating—but it is all for a diweren't reason. Scripture study is not done solely because it is a commandment, but in order to prepare him to choose righteously, and help others to do the same. Work is not just to earn money, but is a practicum for putting gospel principles into action. Earning money is beneficial not as an end in and of itself, but to further the Lord’s causes, including supporting his future family. He sees missionary opportunities not only at work, but also at school. Here, the returned missionary learns passionately as opposed to passively, as he did before the mission. He knows that the more practical skills he learns, the better he can serve God and his fellowman. Dating is no longer something fun to do to pass the time. It is a way to find a wife, with whom he can build the kingdom by perfecting each other and raising a family unto the Lord.

Before the mission, the returned missionary saw life as a container into which he could place things which he enjoyed or was told he ought to do. After the mission, he sees that the gospel is the container, and if something doesn’t fit, he doesn’t have room for it. The gospel ought to circumscribe everything in your life. To circumscribe means to fit within a containing circle. The commandments and doctrines of the Restoration form a circle, and anything which does not fit into them should likewise

Consider what the Lord told Joseph Smith, Sr. in D&C 4. This is memorized missionaries as a scripture frequently by description of their service. Note, however, that at the time this revelation was received, Joseph Smith Sr. was not a missionary.

Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.
Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;
For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;
And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.
Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen. (D&C 4:2-7)

“The work” is not missionary work, but the service of God. It is not just the full-time missionaries, but you who is supposed to be in the full-time service of God. You are called to the work. You are all expected to thrust in the sickle with our might. You are expected to have attributes of godliness.

Missionaries do accept special responsibility when they leave. They are relieved of all of the normal responsibilities of life, allowing missionary work to fill their entire schedule. Their responsibility to do missionary work is not relieved upon returning home, it just has to share resources with the other kingdom-building elements of life, which now return in full force.

The seemingly mundance life-sustaining activities (such as income earning) thrust upon a return missionary might seem less spiritually oriented than his previous occupations, but not so. In a consecrated life, everything that has a place can be used for holy purposes. If it can’t, it has no place in a consecrated life. Brigham Young said,

Thirty years’ experience has taught me that every moment of my life must be holiness to the Lord, resulting from equity, justice, mercy and uprightness in all my actions, which is the only course by which I can preserve the Spirit of the Almighty to myself. (Brigham Young, Deseret News, Apr. 2, 1862, 313)

And how do you make even the ordinary events in life “holiness to the Lord?” Ancient prophets instruct us to “let all [our] doings be unto the Lord, and withersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord;”⁵ The Lord himself tells us to “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”⁶

The Joseph Smith Translation renders Matthew 6:33 as “Wherefore, seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”⁷ What does it mean to build the kingdom? Consecration is seeking to build the kingdom of God. But how does this fit into the many other activities and responsibilities that you have in this life?

Only when you see life as a kingdom building experience can you bring the spirit of a mission into post-mission life.

True consecrated living requires a paradigm shift time and as our again increasing spiritual understanding pushes gospel principles deeper and deeper into our minds and lives. The more time about how can better serve the you spend thinking you Lord, and then applying what you have considered, the closer to him you will be.