Author: Ben Minson

What We Have Become

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Because we place importance on keeping commandments and covenants, Latter-day Saints have been accused of believing in salvation by works. Do we really believe in earning our way to heaven?

No. We believe that we must become qualified for eternal life, for what the Father has in store, and Jesus’s grace is vital in that process.

The difference between earning and qualifying is the difference between, say, wages and promotions. Earning is based on time served, on merit, on what one deserves. That sounds like justice, which is what will condemn us at the Judgment—unless mercy intervenes. Qualification is about development, about what a person has gained in knowledge, attributes, and capability.

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The Retirement Account

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Early in their marriage, Matt and Rebekah decided to plan ahead for their retirement and make sure they had ample money to live on. By necessity, they lived in the city to be close to their workplaces, but they couldn’t imagine retiring here. They wanted to live and enjoy life somewhere much more scenic and both relaxing and invigorating.

Over the next year, they researched many places and found one several hundred miles away that seemed like an optimal place to spend their golden years. They found a reputable financial institution in that location and began placing some of their income each month in a retirement account there.

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Not Lost to Him

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Sometimes, each for individual reasons, disciples of Christ can become lost. We may become estranged from God, turning our backs on Him and running out into the night, as it were.

As if we could find a better offer out there.

But other times, we don’t get completely lost like that. Just a little lost—stepping off the path to explore other options a mite. Just in case we can pick up a few things to take with us back to the strait and narrow. And maybe we aren’t so quick to get back on the path. Maybe we try to walk in the same general direction as the strait and narrow but meander and take our time.

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Two High-School Students

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Penelope and Janice attended high school together and were both what everyone considered good students and good kids. Both listened in class, studied hard, passed their exams, and completed their projects with high marks. However, one of them flourished and developed more than the other.

Penelope focused on her schoolwork and on staying out of trouble. Her aim for good grades crowded out other activities. As a result, she didn’t know other students well, and all anyone really knew about her is that she was at the top of her class and always had the right answers. No one tried to tempt her to engage in delinquent behavior because they always figured she was too busy studying. Years after graduation, not many people remembered Penelope’s name, but they remembered she was smart and always stayed on the teachers’ good side.

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The Day Laborer

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Early each morning, Georg walked to the hardware store and stood on the far side of the parking lot with other potential workers, waiting for a foreman or contractor to hire him for a day’s work and pay. He had made his living this way for years, scraping by as he provided for his family.

Then one morning, he was hired by Mr. Roth.

That didn’t seem extraordinary at first. Mr. Roth had a pleasant manner, and he seemed genuinely kind and happy, but all Georg really cared about was getting a day’s work done and taking the money home to his wife so she could use it to buy the groceries they needed. Mr. Roth led Georg and a couple other men on the drive to a property he owned, where they spent the day clearing rocks and weeds from a large area. Mr. Roth paid Georg and the others at sunset, and as the job wasn’t finished, he said he would be looking for workers again the next day.

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