Eric Poulin

Posts Tagged ‘scripture’

Economic Interchange

Helaman 6:7-9

“And behold, there was peace in all the land, insomuch that the Nephites did go into whatsoever part of the land they would, whether among the Nephites or the Lamanites.
And it came to pass that the Lamanites did also go whithersoever they would, whether it were among the Lamanites or among the Nephites; and thus they did have free intercourse one with another, to buy and to sell, and to get gain, according to their desire.
And it came to pass that they became exceedingly rich, both the Lamanites and the Nephites; and they did have an exceeding plenty of gold, and of silver, and of all manner of precious metals, both in the land south and in the land north.”

Helaman 6:11-14

“And behold, there was all manner of gold in both these lands, and of silver, and of precious ore of every kind; and there were also curious workmen, who did work all kinds of ore and did refine it; and thus they did become rich.
They did raise grain in abundance, both in the north and in the south; and they did flourish exceedingly, both in the north and in the south. And they did multiply and wax exceedingly strong in the land. And they did raise many flocks and herds, yea, many fatlings.
Behold their women did toil and spin, and did make all manner of cloth, of fine-twined linen and cloth of every kind, to clothe their nakedness. And thus the sixty and fourth year did pass away in peace.
And in the sixty and fifth year they did also have great joy and peace, yea, much preaching and many prophecies concerning that which was to come. And thus passed away the sixty and fifth year.”

Free trade makes for a wealthy society. Common belief in society fosters commerce and makes society as a whole wealthy. Part of this has to do with specialization in industry. Specialization makes for higher quality products and services, and so long as everyone is contributing effort and work, that society will fluorish.

This points to another theme covered in previous posts about the value of networking. It was only by intermingling with other poeple that the society as a whole became “exceedingly rich”. As we individually intermingle with others and enlarge our network of contacts, friends, associates we a also more likely to “fluorish exceedingly”.

There are networking organizations whose sole purpose is to bring together people who have a common interest of passing leads to each other (I’m thinking of BNI). Personally, I know of the power of networking. Opportunities arise as you put yourself out there for people to know who you are and what you do. I’ve found a particularly helpful tool is connecting with people who are “hubs”. You know people like this… people who seem to know everyone or can easily become friends with everyone in a room. As you connect closely with people like this, they can help introduce you and your ideas around and help make opportunities.

Toronto Temple Coin

Thanks to my good friend Gavin who pointed this one out to me.

Highlights from Haggai 1:5-9. (Old Testament, p.1166 in the LDS Edition of the Old Testament)

” …Consider you ways.
Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
This saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did low upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.”

This scripture was written shortly after (17-18 years) the Jews return to Jerusalem from the captivity in Babylon.

We know that the common reference to the “mountain of the Lord” means the temple. The Lord was saying through Haggai that although effort was put in to earn wealth and provide for oneself and family, the return just wasn’t quite enough. Where were the blessings of heaven? Why did they struggle? It is revealed here that the temple had to be rebuilt and used.

Most reading this are in relatively close proximity to a temple. Are we using it the way we should? Would Haggai’s words apply to us? Make sure your temple attendence (and worthiness) is not lacking so the Lord doesn’t withhold monetary success from you because of your poor temple attendence. Temple worship is a great, peaceful experience; a way to serve others and the Lord’s purposes. And — as noted here, it can help make sure your are getting enough and more.

1 Nephi 17 33-38
“And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were in the land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous Behold, I say unto you, Nay.
Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than they if they had been righteous I say unto you, Nay.
Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. But behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fullness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it.
Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.
And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked.
And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes.”

Lest we, as a people, become prideful we need to be reminded that were are not chosen because of bloodline, membership in an organization or any other similar reason. We are chosen only because of our righteousness. The blessings of the Lord are available to all. We cannot expect to join the Lord’s church and then coast through life with His blessing. We need to be righteous, always trying to improve, overcoming our weaknesses. The Lord will bless us for our righteousness only. We’ll receive our “precious land” because of our obedience. Otherwise we face the curse of the land, for our own sakes.

That also means our business competitors can be equally blessed according to their righteousness. There’s lots of good people out there to compete with, so make sure you’re obedience, or lack thereof, is not holding you back from success. Afterall, if your competitors are righteous, they are also chosen and able to receive the Lord’s blessings.

1 Nephi 17:20-22
“And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart…
And we know that the people who were in the land of Jerusalem were a righteous people; for they kept the statutes and judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments, according to the law of Moses…And after this manner of language did my brethren murmur and complain against us.”

Nephi’s brethren are now fathers, so they take this opportunity to complain about the hardships of their wives and how they could have been enjoying their possessions back in Jerusalem. There is no particular mention of Laman and Lemuel in this passage, which makes me think that even young Sam has joined in the complaining, leaving Nephi truly alone.
However, lets look at some of the problems with the complaints of Nephi’s brethren.

Distorted View of Reality

1. They are delusional. They claim that the people in Jerusalem were righteous, even though when they left, Jeremiah had been thrown in to prison and Lehi’s life was threatened for preaching repentance to the people. While they were still likely performing all of the rituals associated with the Mosaic Law, they were far from righteous. Righteousness is not defined by rote obedience to a strict ritualistic law, but by the intentions of the heart. Surely Jeremiah and Lehi were prophesying about similar things, turn your heart to Jehovah to avoid certain destruction. Eight years in the wilderness has a way of distorting perspective and truth, especially when coupled with a longing for relaxing and riotous living.
2. Despite seeing an angel and having their plight confirmed, they call Lehi’s visions and commandments “foolish imaginations of his heart”. They have seen several demonstrations now of the power of God, yet still they choose to turn a blind eye towards the truth.
3. The use the word “wander” in the wilderness, when they have been guided and directed by the Liahona.
4. They tie happiness with enjoying their possessions in Jerusalem. We all know money cannot buy happiness, so clearly this is delusional also. There are always problems to be found in any situation. Its how we handle life’s irritants that defines and determines our “happiness”.

Now, their complaints did have some truth mixed in with them for good measure, in order to strengthen their arguments and make their statements seem more persuasive. However, it is not difficult for anyone who recognizes truth to see through these weak arguments and complaints and refute them.

[Right… noted. But whats this got to do with money and budgeting?]

We often get into trouble when we make financial decisions that are not based on correct perceptions of reality. A few examples: Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 17:17-19

“And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.
And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work.”

Don't Heed the Scoffers

Lets paraphrase this as an entrepreneur.? Instead of “build a ship”, substitute “start a business”, and other appropriate things.? Here’s my (true) version:

“And when my brethren saw that I was about to start a business, they began to caution me, saying: Are you sure? Starting a business is a big task. Do you really think you should leave your good job to try starting a business that might fail?
And thus my brethren did crush my spirit, and were desirous that they might not support my idea, for they did not believe that I could start a successful business; neither would they believe that I had prayed about it and felt it was the right thing to do.
And now it came to pass that I, Eric, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice, assuming they were correct, saying: We knew that ye could not start a successful business, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work.” Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 17:14-15

“Wherefore, I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence.
And it came to pass that I did make tools of the ore which I did molten out of the rock. ”

Do you have character?

I once heard a definition of character as “the determination to stick to and follow a decision after the excitement of making that decision has passed.” I love that. How many of us get excited about a decision, new goal or direction we want to take while we are making the choice, and then in the coming days, our determination wavers, we fall back into old habits or fail to establish the new ones we hoped for. Nephi isn’t making a change or course correction here, but he does show amazing determination to follow the Lord’s commandments. He began the arduous task of constructing a ship by making tools out of molten ore. All of this in hopes of obtaining a promised land which they had never seen; a land much better than where they currently where, which they named “Bountiful”.

Likening the scriptures to ourselves, if we are to obtain our “promised land” (be that wealth, a comfortable home, ability to spend more time with family, freedom to choose what to do with your time, means to serve more, etc…) we need to make righteous goals and stick to them. That determination will show the Lord our willingness to keep his commandments. Once the Lord knows that we will not waiver in our constancy in serving Him (through a pattern of dedicated service, faith and attitude), our tests will lessen and the windows of heaven open and His blessings will pour over us. Obtaining our “promised land” before then may be possible, but it will not be done with the joy that comes from blessings of the Lord.

I will make thy food become sweet, that ye cook it not;

1 Nephi 17:12-13

“For the Lord had not hitherto suffered that we should make much fire, as we journeyed in the wilderness; for he said: I will make thy food become sweet, that ye cook it not;
And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led. ”

The thought of eating raw meat turns my stomach. But if its that or starvation, I’m sure I’d go for it. Of course, if the Lord made it sweet, it might not be so bad, especially after 8 years of getting used to it. Whats truly interesting about this is that the Lord was giving them pretty specific instructions that we only find out about as an explanation about lighting a fire. There likely was a lot of other specific instruction received that we don’t know about. Read the rest of this entry »

...I, Nephi, did make a bellows...

1 Nephi 17:11

“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make a bellows wherewith to blow the fire, of the skins of beasts; and after I had made a bellows, that I might have wherewith to blow the fire, I did smite two stones together that I might make fire.”

What’s involved in making a bellows? First Nephi had to hunt an animal of appropriate size, skin it, cure and dry the skin. Then he had to figure out a way to attach the skin to the hard, flat sides, probably made of wood. It needed a nozzle and handles. Remember this was to be used to generate heat enough to smelt iron, so it had to be pretty good quality. Also, any Scout or camper who has ever tried to light a fire by “smiting two stones together” will know this, in itself, is a huge challenge.

Clearly, this task was not accomplished in a matter of hours. It probably took several days to make a bellows that would work, and then a makeshift kiln had to be built, not just an open fire. We must assume that Nephi already had some of these skills, but it takes time to accomplish them, even though he was following the Lord’s command.

In our finances, we may have big or lofty goals; things we want to accomplish, or perhaps goals imposed upon us. Rather than just tackling the big goal of building a ship, Nephi broke the end goal into intermediate steps and accomplished each step in sequence. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 17:9-10

...whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten...

“And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?
And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools.”

Joseph Fielding McConkie said about this and the surrounding verses, “It is a law of heaven that its powers are extended in behalf of man only in those instances and on those matters where the powers and mind of man are insufficient. God will bless the harvest, but man must clear the land, plow the ground, plant the seed, and tend the crop. God will not do for us that which we can do for ourselves. Nephi could molten ore, but only when God has helped him find it; he could build a ship to cross the ocean, but only when God has provided the blueprint. Such is the relationship between men and God.”

With some insight into Nephi’s history, I believe he probably made some attempts to find ore before asking the Lord for help. Finally, after exhausting his own efforts, he went to the Lord. Interestingly, he didn’t ask the Lord for the tools, only the raw materials so he could make what he needed himself.

Perhaps a modern likeness of this scripture would be some of the following: Read the rest of this entry »

...the Lord Spake unto me saying: Thou shalt construct a ship.

1 Nephi 17:8

Lets get all metaphoric for a moment. The many waters (ocean) separate Nephi and family from the promised land. They can represent a trouble or challenge in our life separating us from our metaphorical “promised land”. The Lord wants to help us overcome this trouble and in fact, he comes right out and shows us how to do it. It saves not only us, but our family too.

If only life were that easy! If only God would show us how to overcome our financial troubles! Oh, wait a minute… He did 🙂 Read the rest of this entry »