Preparedness#33–A Zion People or ‘Which way does your tent door face’ 9/06/09

Preparedness#33–A Zion People or ‘Which way does your tent door face’ 9/06/09

One of my favorite lessons in the Old Testament is the lesson on the division of land between Abraham, the great patriarch and his special nephew Lot. History has taught us the ultimate fate of the two men but at the time that they moved into the new land that the Lord had given them, Abraham turned to Lot and asked him which of the land he wanted. The choices were rich fertile land nourished buy the water of a great river or the deseret land adjacent to it.

Lot chose the fertile land that was sure to yeild great wealth an prosperity. Abraham took what seemed to be waste land and baren of the plant life so abundant on Lot’s choice land.

The land that Lot chose included the great cities of Sodom and Gamorah. Knowing the type of things going on there, Lot and his family decided to pitch their tents far away in the grazing lands from the cities but faced the tent doors toward the cities just to keep an curious eye on the ‘goings on.’

Abraham, on the other hand, moved to his new desert home and built and altar. It was the closest thing to God he could create since he lacked the means or the time to build a temple. It was his sacred place. He then gave thanks for the new land the Lord had given him, blessed it to the good of his family and his ability to serve the Lord. Some would say he got a less than optimum start in the new place. He seems to never have been resentful of Lot’s choice to take the best and not divide it with some good and some bad evenly between them but made the most of what he was given.

After he gave thanks to the Lord for his ‘gift,’ he set up his tent with the door facing the alter he had just built and used to worship. To make a long story short, most of you know what finally happened to each man an his family. Lot and his family finally moved to Sodom, his wife turned to salt for not quite leaving Sodom in her heart, Lot and his family deteriorated spiritually.

Abraham, on the other hand became exceedingly wealthy, and became the patriarch through which the Covenant of all the blessings of the gospel/Priesthood were given – not only to him and his family, but all the worthy families and individuals on this Earth. What a man he must have been. I know it wasn’t just where he faced his tent door by accident that caused his blessing; it was that he was the kind of man that understood the principle and for good reason built and worshiped at the alter – then, pitched his tent toward the object of their worship to remind them daily of who they were and what they should be about. Lots choice had the same effect but with a different object and an opposite outcome!

So, as you examine your PREPARATION, which way have you ‘pitched’ your tent door. Is the majority of your involvement on a day to day schedule oriented to the big city on the plain with bright lights, the colorful entertainment and the ‘exciting’ entertainment of ‘Babylon’ or is your tent door facing the Temple with worldly persuits aimed at supporting your ability to give life to that existence of those who humbly live for and follow the Savior.

Those who follow the Savior, learn a new way. A way that we discussed last fall that was so succesful that Enoch and his people became so efficient at obedience that the whole city was taken up to heaven because it became heaven on earth. It became a Zion people. Their secret: They became a people that were pure in heart.- D&C 97:21

Today, I think that you spirits that are here are so sensitive that you know instinctively that you are the Lord’s chosen spirits to carry off the most important work the world has known. The great and small from the history of mankind are watching from the ‘other side’ to see if we will follow our individual mandate or blessing to fulfill the ‘measure of our creation’ and do the great work we were sent to do. Some of us, being the clever individuals we are seem to be trying to build our ‘tents with the door facing the big city AND the Temple hoping to be able to enjoy the ‘blessings’ of both at the same time.

The Lord makes it clear how impossible this is in Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Look up Mammon if you need a definition. )

Elder David R. Stone in April 2006 General Conference said the following: “In his first epistle, John writes: "I have written unto you . . . because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world" (1 John 2:14–15).

We do not need to adopt the standards, the mores, and the morals of Babylon. We can create Zion in the midst of Babylon. We can have our own standards for music and literature and dance and film and language. We can have our own standards for dress and deportment, for politeness and respect. We can live in accordance with the Lord's moral laws. We can limit how much of Babylon we allow into our homes by the media of communication.

We can live as a Zion people, if we wish to. Will it be hard? Of course it will, for the waves of Babylonian culture crash incessantly against our shores. Will it take courage? Of course it will.”

So then, which way is our tent door facing and are we willing to be pure in heart?

gv3grant@gmail.com 435 628-2739 http://rupreparedgv3.blogspot.com