Riches vs. Riches

Riches vs. Riches

By Owen M. Sanderson, Bishop of the Sixth If ard, Ogden Stake

A great and good man looking into the future und seeing

the day of great prosperity said, a few years ago, "I do not fear

for the poverty of this people, neither for the persecution that

may come to them." Great prosperity, wealth, vanity, pride and

pleasure-seeking, — with his prophetic eye he saw into the future

and beheld that these causes were affecting many, so that they

had not time for worship nor disposition to honor their priest-

hood nor keep the Sabbath day holy.

What he said is literally true, for many who have acquired

wealth seem to fail in the spiritual realm of faith, hope, prayer

and worship. They appear to have no time for communion, no

desire to honor the priesthood, no love for the laws given by

the Lord to save his children, and no time to worship God or to

render service to him.

If what lie said is true, we should pray that we be kept in

humility, and that we may receive thankfully, distribute cheer-

fully, and use consistently, the money and the means that we

are entrusted with.

Who is richer than the man who is industrious, frugal, pays

his debts, deals justly with all, aids every good move in a cheer-

ful, consistent way, finds time after earning a sustenance to min-

ister in the spiritual duties, and to bless and encourage those

who need succor and comfort? Who is richer than the man,

having food and raiment and who is therewith content, who

seeks after love, faith, patience, meekness, charity, kindness,

fights the good fight of faith, and lays hold on eternal life?

While millions of dollars may aid us, and we may do much

good therewith, it is a fact, that frequently wealth does not

encourage the spirit of righteousness or the happiness of man.

On the contrary, simplicity, faith, honesty, careful obedience to

the word of the Lord, stand us to a better account than millions

of wealth.

One of the richest men who ever lived, Patriarch David

McKay, was recently laid to his rest by the most sincere multi-

tude of heartfelt sympathizers that it was ever my privilege to

see. Jew, Gentile, Saint and sinner paid homage to his memory,

— not because of his wealth, ( though he had abundance ) , but

because he was a man rich in noble traits: a man of a holv and

RICHES VS. RICHES 419

consistent life; a man not wealthy in stocks and bonds and

money or other property, but nevertheless wealthy, rich in good

works, in unselfish service to his fellow men.

Where men worship wealth or wealth keeps them from the

Lord, there is nothing to sustain them in the hour of distress.

Heaven deliver us from the avenues of wealth, where whimper-

ing weakness and silly caterings to questionable passions so oc-

cupy the minds of people that there is no time for them nor dis-

position in their hearts to honor God or worship in his sanctuary.

Every law of the Lord has a significant place in our development,

without which we cannot stand in the great day. Sell all thou

hast, and take up thy cross and follow me, was a very significant

admonition given by the Savior to the rich man. He gave it

because that man was cumbered with wealth, and his heart was

bent on his riches, and his spirit was bound down with the

weight of business, which lost to him the way of salvation. There

are perhaps thousands in our day whose attention is absorbed

so literally by their money, that they fail to attend to their spir-

itual duties, to their hurt, and with danger of their final down-

fall and death spiritually.

While on a mission some time ago, I had an example that

came before me: A wealthy business man, the owner of a large

mercantile establishment, became converted to the gospel. He

said that he would very much like to be baptized, but he felt

sure that if he became a member of the Church, he would lose

his many customers and that his business would go to pieces.

This condition of mind continued with him for a long time ;

finally, one day, I received a letter from him, stating that on the

day previous his store was burned to the ground with all its

contents. He closed his letter with these words, "Come up and

baptize me, the obstacle has been removed."

We then baptized him and his family, also a group of his

kindred and neighbors, all of whom were awaiting his leader-

ship. This is a living example of how mercifully the Lord

touches us, often to our material loss but to our spiritual gain

and blessing.

Will it not be well for us, each and every one, to allow the

Lord to guide our little barque over some of the dangers of over-

zealousness in commercialism today?

Ogden, Utah