Utterly Wasted
In
Malachi’s famous verse about the turning of the fathers to the children and
vice versa, he said that if it didn’t happen the Lord would “come and smite the
earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:6). In
the version that the Prophet Joseph received from the angel Moroni, the consequence
of not turning the children to their fathers is a little different. He said that “If it were not so, the whole
earth would be utterly wasted at his coming” (D&C 2:3).
I think we could understand the word “wasted” here to mean that the earth would see great destruction, or that simply the earth’s existence would have been in vain and useless. The thought came to me as I considered this that perhaps I should apply this to my own life; if my heart does not turn to my fathers, then my life will be “utterly wasted” by the time the Savior comes. Put in other terms, if I don’t seek out my dead to bring them the ordinances of the temple, whatever I did with my time instead will have been of little worth. I think that I can probably express this in broader terms to include the work of sealing my own family to me including my wife, children, and posterity in addition to my ancestors. And of course the preaching of the gospel is needed to bring our “extended” family of brothers and sisters throughout the world to Christ and ultimately to the ordinances of salvation. But the principle remains the same: at the core, the most important work in life all revolves around the temple. As the Prophet Joseph wrote, “And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation” (D&C 128:15). Elder Allan Packer in the most recent general conference said this, “We must not sacrifice our exaltation or that of our families for less important interests” (The Book, October 2014). What a shame it would be if at the end of our lives we realized that it was indeed filled so much with “less important interests” that we found out that our time ultimately was “utterly wasted.” So with Joseph we should say to ourselves, “Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation” (D&C 128:24). Our mission in life is to fill that book with our own name, the names of our posterity, and the names of all our family who came before us whom we can find.
I think we could understand the word “wasted” here to mean that the earth would see great destruction, or that simply the earth’s existence would have been in vain and useless. The thought came to me as I considered this that perhaps I should apply this to my own life; if my heart does not turn to my fathers, then my life will be “utterly wasted” by the time the Savior comes. Put in other terms, if I don’t seek out my dead to bring them the ordinances of the temple, whatever I did with my time instead will have been of little worth. I think that I can probably express this in broader terms to include the work of sealing my own family to me including my wife, children, and posterity in addition to my ancestors. And of course the preaching of the gospel is needed to bring our “extended” family of brothers and sisters throughout the world to Christ and ultimately to the ordinances of salvation. But the principle remains the same: at the core, the most important work in life all revolves around the temple. As the Prophet Joseph wrote, “And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation” (D&C 128:15). Elder Allan Packer in the most recent general conference said this, “We must not sacrifice our exaltation or that of our families for less important interests” (The Book, October 2014). What a shame it would be if at the end of our lives we realized that it was indeed filled so much with “less important interests” that we found out that our time ultimately was “utterly wasted.” So with Joseph we should say to ourselves, “Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation” (D&C 128:24). Our mission in life is to fill that book with our own name, the names of our posterity, and the names of all our family who came before us whom we can find.
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