There are two categories of people: spiritual givers and spiritual takers. By middle age, everyone ought to be aware of what category they fit into. Surprisingly, however, members of both groups seem to somehow convince themselves that they are like everyone else, with both categories doing so for very different reasons. Spiritual takers do not realize who they are due to a mix of pride, selfishness, and loving a lie, all of which are discussed elsewhere in this book. Spiritual givers do not realize who they are because of humility, unconditional love, and seeing the potential in others. The rest of this chapter will discuss these people in an attempt to help them recognize and assume their potential in life.
In this world, all things are incessantly pulled downward by the background of a lowly state of light and truth. Most people and things subscribe to this level of light and truth. However, there are some people who subscribe to a higher level of light and truth. In their interactions with the world, they constantly invite and entice others to act according to the higher level of light and truth.
Do you doubt you are someone special? Specialness does not come by virtue of a lottery. It is not rare by design, but rare because so few exert the effort required to fulfill the divine potential present in every child of God. Anyone can be a spiritual giver, because what you give is not your greatness, but God’s greatness, and he is willing to give his greatness to anyone who will trust, seek, and obey him. It is up to you.
The purpose of a person with higher light and truth is to: 1) expose others to greater light, and 2) alleviate the consequences of the ignorance of those with lesser light. This mimics, on an infinitesimally small scale, the intercession of the Lord Jesus: they obtain more light and truth, and they dispense it to others who have not put in the same effort to obtain it, satisfying the demands of justice through their condescending sacrifice:
22 For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.
23 And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come.
24 And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.
25 Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ. (Moroni 7)
Most of Jesus’ followers past and present don’t actually believe in him , but in his goodies. They adore what he can do for them, as they believe, but couldn’t care less about how he is (and therefore how they ought to be).
Multiplying the loaves and fishes produced enough public attention that the ranks of Jesus’ followers swelled. These disciples were so numerous that he had to flee by night to escape the crowd. When they discovered his new location, he criticized them for their motives. “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” (John 6:26)
If you are a truth bearer, you ought to prepare yourself for the same. There will never be a shortage of people who are happy to have you bear the consequences of their ignorance. They are happy to enjoy the fruits of your wisdom, but they have no interest in the tree that produced the fruit.