Consecration Today

In a recent general conference, Elder Kevin Pearson told of his experience leaving his job when he was called as a mission president.  He described it saying, “With some trepidation I met with the chairman and the CEO of the company where I was employed and informed them of my mission call. They were visibly upset with my decision to leave the firm. ‘When did you make this decision, and why didn’t you discuss it with us earlier?’ they demanded.  In a moment of clarity, a profound answer came into my mind. I said, ‘I made this decision as a 19-year-old boy, when I made sacred covenants with God in the temple to follow the Savior. I’ve built my entire life on those covenants, and I fully intend to keep them now.’”  I think this was a profound way of answering that question; when we go to the temple we consecrate our lives to God.  Understanding that made an otherwise difficult decision very easy for Elder Perason; he knew he had covenanted to make sacrifices and consecrate himself to God, so accepting the call was simply continuing to fulfill the promises he had made. 

               In the Doctrine and Covenants we read a lot about the law of consecration that the early Saints lived.  The references they are mostly related to the physical giving of property and wealth to the Lord.  For example, the Lord said, “And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken” (D&C 42:30).  We are not asked today to give all of our substance to the church in this same way, but we must be willing to do so.  But consecration involves more than simply property.  Elder McConkie described it this way: “The law of consecration is that we consecrate our time, our talents, and our money and property to the cause of the Church: such are to be available to the extent they are needed to further the Lord’s interests on earth.”  This is exactly what Elder Pearson did; he showed he was willing to give up everything when the Lord needed him no matter the cost in worldly terms.  Elder McConkie told a story that should give us pause for reflection about our own willingness to sacrifice for the Lord.  He said, “As a young man, serving at the direction of my bishop, I called upon a rich man and invited him to contribute a thousand dollars to a building fund. He declined. But he did say he wanted to help, and if we would have a ward dinner and charge $5 per plate, he would take two tickets. About ten days later this man died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and I have wondered ever since about the fate of his eternal soul.”  That story is eerily similar to the account in Acts 5 of Ananias and Sapphira.  The Lord told us that the first great commandment is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” and surely following that fully means much more than offering $10 to charity (Matt. 22:37).  The Lord “requireth the heart and a willing mind” of us in these last days, and the Law of Consecration of asks us to be willing to give both our wealth and our heart.