Forsake the World

Sidney Gilbert was given this direction from the Lord in a revelation to Joseph in 1831: “Behold, I, the Lord, who was crucified for the sins of the world, give unto you a commandment that you shall forsake the world” (D&C 53:2).  I’ve been thinking about this verse today and wondering how we can really forsake the world when the influences of the world are so strong around us.  We have to somehow learn to acquire many of the things of the world which are necessary without setting our hearts upon them.  With a similar message the Lord told Emma Smith, “And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10).  These invitations to Sidney and Emma are surely just as binding on us, and for those who have made covenants of faithfulness with the Lord, it is a continual challenge to forsake the world and set our hearts upon the things of God. 

                We see similar language about forsaking the world in the account of the young rich man who sought counsel from the Savior.  He asked what he lacked and the Lord told him, “Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven” (Matt. 19:21).  Both the Matthew account and the Luke account have JST additions to this event that expand on what the Savior told the disciples after the young man went away.  In Matthew we read, “But Jesus beheld their thoughts, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but if they will forsake all things for my sake, with God whatsoever things I speak are possible” (JST Matt. 19:26).  Luke’s version says this, “It is impossible for them who trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom of God; but he who forsaketh the things which are of this world, it is possible with God, that he should enter in” (JST Luke 18:27).  These verses seem to suggest that in fact the only way into the kingdom of God is to forsake the things of the world.  If we want them with us we will have to go somewhere else besides the kingdom of God because they cannot be a part of it.  I think this account highlights one of the major ways in which we have to forsake the world: money.  Because so much of the world is run on money we are constantly forced to think about it in our lives, but we have to do it without letting our hearts get set upon it. 

                George Q. Cannon said, “We see men following the ways of the world just as much as though they made no pretensions to being Latter-day Saints. Hundreds of people who are called Latter-day Saints you could not distinguish from the world. They have the same desires, the same feelings, the same aspirations, the same passions as the rest of the world” (Conference Report, Oct. 1899, p. 50; quoted here).  So perhaps one way that we might evaluate how we are doing at forsaking the world is to evaluate our “desires” and “feelings” and “aspirations” against what we know the world would generally encourage.  If we don’t stand out as “peculiar” to the world around us, then perhaps we have things we need to change.  If we find ourselves to be very similar in focus as it relates to our daily life, then we might need to read these words from the Savior more often: “Therefore, forsake the world, and save your souls; for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (JST Matt. 16:29)