The scripture reference that we were given to base our talks on is Jacob 2:18-19. Which says, “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good- to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
As I was thinking about this scripture I was reminded of an old children’s story called King Midas.
It is about a very rich king who ruled in a magical land of roses and sunshine. King Midas was a very selfish king. All he cared about was his gold and riches. He spent every day locked in a room by himself counting his money. It was all he ever thought about.
King Midas had a beautiful daughter named Marygold. She was very different from her father. Marygold did not care much for gold, and she was not at all selfish. She worked hard to take care of her beautiful rose garden. Marygold was sorry that her father never joined her. She wished he would leave his gold and come outside to enjoy the garden.
One day Midas was counting his gold when a stranger appeared. The stranger commented on how Midas had a lot of gold. King Midas told him he could always use more. The stranger told him he had magical powers. He told the King that he could give him the power to turn all that he touched into gold. The King told him he would very much like that.
The next morning when he woke up and pulled back the curtain from around his bed, it turned to gold. He was so excited. He ran through the castle touching everything he could turning it into gold. He then went Marygold’s garden and touched a rose. It turned to gold. How delighted Marygold will be, he thought, and then he turned all the roses to gold.
Soon the king was hungry and thirsty, but everything he touched or tried to drink turned to gold. He was dizzy with hunger. Suddenly Marygold came into the room. She held a single gold rose and was crying. “Look at this poor rose,” she said. “How could this have happened?”
“I made it happen,” answered King Midas. “Don’t you like it?”
“My roses are ruined!” exclaimed Marygold. “They do not smell sweet. They do not feel like velvet. They do not make butterflies dance. They are worthless!”
Like all fathers, King Midas was very sad that his daughter was unhappy, and he wanted to make her feel better. Without thinking he rushed over to her and gave her a comforting hug. As soon as he did, Marygold turned to gold!
King Midas ran from his golden daughter. He now knew his wish had been a curse, not a blessing. He wished he could turn back time and get his beautiful daughter back. Just then the stranger returned and asked, “Aren’t you pleased with all your gold?”
King Midas told him how foolish he was and told him if he would save his daughter he could have all his gold.
The stranger told him he did not want his gold. He just wanted to teach him a lesson. He told him to get his daughter back he needed to go to the river just beyond the rose garden. He told him to dive into its waters and bring back enough water to sprinkle over all the things he had turned gold and they would return to normal.
He called his servants to gather every bucket and pail they could find and bring them to the river. Without another word he ran to the river’s edge and leaped into the cold, rushing water.
The water around the king began to turn golden yellow. He watched as the golden layer fell to the bottom of the river. Midas quickly filled the pails with water and returned to his daughter. He splashed water on her. When King Midas saw Marygold change back to her normal self, his heart filled with joy.
King Midas was very thankful to have his daughter back. Together they went outside and changed all the gold flowers back to beautiful red roses. Midas had learned that there are much more important things in life than gold. The only gold that Kings Midas cared for now was the gold of the sunshine.
What are the riches that we seek in our lives?
In the Questions and Answers section of the April 2002 Liahona the question was, Is it morally wrong to be rich in a world where so many are poor?
Liahona’s answer was....
Wealth—whether we possess it or not—is a great challenge in mortality. The Apostle Paul wrote that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). Someone else once quipped that the lack of money is the root of all evil. The first statement is scripture. The second, though made in jest, also contains a kernel of truth.
King Benjamin spoke to “the poor, … all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received” (Mosiah 4:24–25).
The key is to avoid coveting—the loving of money. We can love money just as much when we don’t have it as when we do. And evil comes into the world not only through those who have wealth and use it selfishly or dishonestly, but also through those who do not have it and yet covet it. Perhaps this is why the Lord has shown us glimpses of the kind of society He wishes us to achieve. In Zion, there are neither rich nor poor (see 4 Ne. 1:3).
Being wealthy is not morally wrong. The danger, as the Book of Mormon repeatedly emphasizes, is that when people become wealthy they sometimes forget the Lord and His commandments.
President Brigham Young (1801–77) said: “The worst fear that I have about [members of this Church] is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches” (quoted in Preston Nibley, Brigham Young: The Man and His Work [1936], 128).
If we are to “stand wealth,” as President Young said, we must remember why the Lord might bless us with wealth and understand both why and when we should seek it. Jacob explained, “After ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:19).
One of the best ways to help those in need is to pray for the Lord’s guidance. The Spirit can guide us to those in need of our help—as can our bishop or branch president.
If we use wealth to bless those in need, we show the Lord that our hearts are right and He can trust us. If, on the other hand, we hoard wealth or use it for selfish purposes, we are as the wicked servant who hid his talent in the earth, and the Lord will likewise condemn us (see Matt. 25:14–30).
As the holiday season draws upon us I would encourage you to think about how you might share your riches. Our five year old taught us a very good lesson just this week. His elementary school has been gathering pennies to donate to an area organization to help families have Christmas. Last week he and Aurora took all the pennies they had and some of Daddy’s too, to school. On Tuesday, this week, he came home and said he needed five dollars for a family who don’t have Christmas. He said he wanted to take five dollars from his money jar to school. My husband and I kind of discouraged him saying they had only asked for pennies. He insisted he needed to do this. I am embarrassed to say I sent him with an envelope with the five dollars and a note that if he didn’t need that much to please send it back. The money did not come home. I am grateful for Logan’s example of generosity.
So many times the generosity of others has blessed our family. At times it has been through anonymous gifts of cash, through the sharing of clothes, the sharing of a meal, and especially the sharing of a testimony.
Alma said, Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you. Within our own lives and within our families I hope we will give our attention to those things that are lasting. Gain an education so we can support and families and others. Build the relationships we have within our families and within the church. Remember what we are taught in the Doctrine and Covenants, Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
May we seek the guidance of the spirit in how we can serve and give to others during this Holiday season and through out our lives.
I testify that I have a hope in Christ and I have a rich life because of it.
Being Patriotic. In JCPenney's.
11 years ago