Gifts and Stewardship

This entry occurred just after having been called to serve in the bishopric of the YSA ward in our stake.

As I have been thinking, teaching and speaking to our ward, lately, I have been developing the theme of life being a gift. King Benjamin in Mosiah 2:22-24 shows us that life itself is a gift and that when we realize that and try to repay God by our obedience, he immediately blesses us, so we can never repay Him. Thus, we are always unprofitable servants. D & C 46:8 instructs us to seek the best gifts. The section goes on to say that the desire (v.9) for these gifts is not to consume them upon our lusts or for a sign, but to benefit all. It continues to say that all are not given every gift, but to some one gift and others to another. Still the gifts are of the Spirit and given that all may prosper (v. 10-12). The natural man, it seems, when he receives a gift, thinks only of himself. How often do estate lawyers see the estate squandered when it passes to the next generation? The heirs can think of all kinds of things of which they have been deprived and immediately begin to consume the estate upon their lusts.

In the law, a gift is given with no strings attached. It is not a completed gift if the giver can pull it back for any reason. If a person gives another a gift and sees that the gift is squandered rather than invested, the giver is reluctant to continue giving such gifts. If the giver continues and the recipient does the same, a very unhealthy relationship results. The recipient, usually a child, never learns to depend upon his own efforts and when the parent or giver no longer has the wherewithal or dies, the child is desperate, angry and turns to the court and when that fails, to the state for their life of ease. It is not unusual that they turn to crime and/or to substance abuse.

Similarly, God is reluctant to provide continual spiritual gifts if they will be squandered.

The expectation, then, is that when we receive a gift from God, we are to invest and grow it, that it may benefit all. Interestingly, Mosiah 2:5 goes on to say, "...can ye say ought of yourselves?" It points out that we are dust and that it all belongs to the Creator. If that is true, there was never any gift. We are caretakers of all that the earth can bestow upon us. We are stewards. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein." Psalm 24:1

In the parable of the talents the lord of the servants did not make a gift of the money, but entrusted the servants with it. It is implied that he expected an accounting upon his return, as the servants took steps to preserve and grow their "gifts". The lord is obviously pleased with those who make something of the gift each has been given, but it is also clear that the money and all it gains are his. He is not pleased with the servant who hid up the money in anticipation of the accounting for fear of losing it. He was risk averse and did nothing to put the gift at risk. The "gift" was taken away and given to one who had magnified the gift he had been given.

What would have happened to the servant if he had squandered the money in living only for the day and did not worry about the day when the lord would return? No doubt the lord of the servants would have been even more displeased. Inasmuch as the "gift" was really a bestowal of a stewardship, prison would have resulted.

To many in this world, it seems, the purpose of life is to do what is necessary to simply survive and avoid pain or adversity. To others the purpose of life is to achieve modestly, but when they get to a point of financial independence they go no further in their retirement. To others the purpose seems to be to accumulate to themselves and in their quest for more, they forget who really owns the fullness of the earth and are no more prepared for the accounting than those who did little with this gift of life.

To others, life itself is a gift for which we should be ever grateful. Yet, even knowing that there will be an accounting, they risk their gifts and build upon them. In the mean time they share the abundance with the poor "...that they might be rich like unto [them]." Jacob 2:17. They constantly seek first the Kingdom of God and second riches. They seek riches for the purpose of doing good (vs. 18-19).

If the poor are to be made rich like the person who has magnified his gifts, what is shared has to be the method for obtaining wealth (in the broadest sense) and the encouragement to seek it. Otherwise, the receiver could never be anything but poor and reliant on others.

If we seek first the kingdom of God, the promise is that we we may obtain riches, "...if ye seek them." (v. 19) Nowhere are we promised that they will fall into our laps. To me the implication is that everything requires effort on our part and, at the same time, setting proper priorities. It includes a good deal of gratitude and of stretching ourselves to grow and build. We must never forget who is the true owner of what we obtain, so when confronted with a challenge to share, we cannot give into the temptation to hoard instead. All these decisions must be based upon the principles of righteousness and of obedience.

In my experience the results are beyond our dreams in almost all aspects of our lives - spiritually, materially, emotionally, socially and even physically. We must, however, never rest beyond the need. In the Kingdom of God there is no retirement. We are to live to the Lord's expectations and only then we will live the fullest of life.