Mormon Budget

Archive for October, 2008

I received an email from a friend with a transcript of Elder Boyd K Packer speaking at a testimony meeting on Oct 12.

However, I have removed the attachment after reading further here: Comments from another blogger who called church headquarters about it, and having received a number of emails through regular church channels suggesting that the comments were not accurate.

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Climbing Out of Debt by President Hinckley

Exerpts:

“Realize It Is a Spiritual Matter

1. Paying an honest tithing.
2. Paying a generous fast offering.
3. Giving time, talent, and energy toward building the kingdom of God.’
4. Following principles of self-reliance.
5. Cultivating gratitude.

‘We are beguiled by seductive advertising. Television carries the enticing invitation to borrow up to 125 percent of the value of one’s home. But no mention is made of interest.’ Read the rest of this entry »

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1 Nephi 5:2

“…she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.”

Even Sariah was feeling the effects from the loss of the comforts Lehi’s wealth provided them. This reads like: ‘first we have to leave our wealth, and now my sons are dead and we’re going to die too’, as if she were listing her greatest grievances. It’s interesting that amongst her greatest complaints, even used in the same sentence as her sons being dead and her and her husband’s imminent death, is the loss of wealth. Read the rest of this entry »

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1 Nephi 4:33-34

“And I spake unto him, even with an oath, that he need not fear; that he should be a free man like unto us if he would go down in the wilderness with us.
And I also spake unto him, saying: Surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing; and shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord? Therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father thou shalt have place with us.”

This is the beginning of another common theme in the Book of Mormon; which is obedience to the Lord’s commandments makes us free.

While Zoram was certainly under duress while making his decision to go with Lehi’s family into the wilderness (and it seems his life was on the line), part of the reasoning was that he would be following the commandments of the Lord. Zoram decided to go with them, and thus by his following the commandments of the Lord, he became free in at least the following ways:

• he was a servant (of Laban) who managed someone elses wealth and never gaining any of his own. We know the Lord wants us to be prosperous, and this is not possible in servitude. Now he could be a free man, servant to none. He could seek wealth in his own way, and we learn later in the Book of Mormon, that the Zoramites become a wealthy and prosperous people.
• he escaped the destruction that would soon befall Jerusalem. Those who remained in Jerusalem when it was overtaken by the Babylonians, were either killed and put into subjection of the Babylonian rulers. Hard to be prosperous under the wrong circumstances. The Lord prepared a way for Zoram to be prosperous; all he had to do was follow the Lord’s prophet. We too have this opportunity as we follow our prophet who gives us commandments, advice and warnings, which, if we heed, will keep us in circumstances where the Lord can prosper us.
• he escaped some spiritual death since those in Jerusalem had stoned and imprisoned the prophets. The word of the Lord was no longer with them. Lehi and Nephi became the prophets which brought the word of the Lord to Zoram.

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1 Nephi 4:20-24

“And after I had done this, I went forth unto the treasury of Laban…. And I also spake unto him that I should carry the engravings, which were upon the plates of brass, to my elder brethren, who were without the walls.”

Nephi is a hero in so many ways. He obeys the Spirit and kills Laban, on the spur of the moment comes up with the plan to dress as Laban and then goes towards the treasury Zoram, Laban’s servant. But once in the treasury, he doesn’t take anything else of value. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ezra Taft Benson addressing BYU students about debt.

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1 Nephi 4:19

“And after I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armor about my loins.”:

Nephi here is trying too appear as Laban to get the plates. He can now freely walk into Laban’s home with his servants respecting him. We don’t know if Nephi looks anything like Laban, however, its the clothes that demand the respect, not Laban himself. Think about it… its Laban’s wealth that demand respect, not Laban himself. Take away Laban’s wealth and he doesn’t garner the respect that his servants give him. His fine clothes are a symbol of his wealth. Read the rest of this entry »

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President Monson gave a great talk and discussed 3 things we can do to qualify to be God’s people

1. Learn what we should learn
2. Do what we should do
3. Be what we should be

Since the Book of Mormon promises that if we keep the commandments, we’ll prosper in the land, and especially in our troubled times, we need to heed this counsel.

Experts: Read the rest of this entry »

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Family Finances

Family Home Storage

Seeing the need for basic education about money, the First Presidency releases the pamphlet “All is Safely Gathered In: Family Finance”.

This pamphlet is released in conjuntion with the pamphlet “Prepare Every Needful Thing: Family Home Storage”.

Following the principles discussed in these pamphlets will protect you from emergency needs. Of note is the repeated advice to budget your money. While most people know they should be doing this, its hard to get on a regiment, but its essential to your financial fitness.

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1 Nephi 4:11

I’ve always found it interesting that, as Nephi was constrained by the Spirit to kill Laban, he used in his reasoning and justification (amongst a few reasons the Lord spoke of) that Laban had taken away Lehi’s family’s property. I’ve often wondered about this. My understanding of future celestial glory is that people would live in a united order, where all things are shared, people are given stewardships of land, but possessions begin to lose their meaning as traditional possessions are held in common to be allotted by Bishops. The early saints experimented with living this order but it was a dismal failure. Clearly the people were not ready for such a jump in understanding and paradigm shift. Read the rest of this entry »

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