What Kind of a Steward Would You Be?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Doctrine and Covenants 51-57 in a lesson titled “A Faithful, a Just, and a Wise Steward.” The lesson was introduced by the following paragraphs. 

For Church members in the 1830s, gathering the Saints and building the city of Zion were spiritual as well as temporal labors, with many practical matters to address: Someone needed to buy land where the Saints could settle. Someone needed to print books and other publications. And someone needed to run a store to provide goods for people in Zion. In the revelations recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 51-57, the Lord appointed and instructed people to handle these tasks.

 

But while skills in such things are needed in Zion, these revelations also teach that the Lord desires His Saints to become spiritually worthy to be called a Zion people—His people. He calls each of us to be “a faithful, a just, and a wise steward,” having a contrite spirit, “stand[ing] fast” in our appointed responsibilities (see Doctrine and Covenants 51:19; 52:15; 54:2). If we can do that—regardless of our temporal skills—the Lord can use us to build Zion.

The scripture blog contains several principles, including (1) The Lord wants me to be a faithful, just, and wise steward (Doctrine and Covenants 51), (2) I can invite others to come unto Christ wherever I go (Doctrine and Covenants 52:9-11, 22-27), (3) The Lord helps me avoid deception (Doctrine and Covenants 52:14-19), (4) I can turn to the Lord when I am hurt by others’ choices (Doctrine and Covenants 54), and (5) Blessed are the pure in heart (Doctrine and Covenants 56:14-20).

This essay will discuss principle #4, “I can turn to the Lord when I am hurt by others’ choices (Doctrine and Covenants 54). Section 54 tells about a group of Saints known as the Colesville Saints because they originated in Colesville, New York. When they moved from Colesville, New York, to the Kirtland, Ohio, area, they were told that there would be a place to live. There were about sixty men, women, and children in the group.

Leman Copley was a recent convert to the Church and had offered his land as a place for the immigrating Saints to live in exchange for the Saints improving the land. However, Copley changed his mind and eventually left the Church. However, the Colesville Saints were left without land. The introduction to Section 54 is as follows:

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Newel Knight, at Kirtland, Ohio, June 10, 1831. Members of the Church living in Thompson, Ohio, were divided on questions having to do with the consecration of properties. Selfishness and greed were manifest. Following his mission to the Shakers (see the heading to section 49), Leman Copley had broken his covenant to consecrate his large farm as a place of inheritance for the Saints arriving from Colesville, New York. As a consequence, Newel Knight (leader of the members living in Thompson) and other elders had come to the Prophet asking how to proceed. The Prophet inquired of the Lord and received this revelation, which commands the members in Thompson to leave Leman Copley’s farm and journey to Missouri.

If you had a friend among the Colesville Saints, what counsel could you find in section 54 to share with them? Here are some bits of counsel that I found in this scripture.

1. Remember that Jesus Christ is in charge (verse 1).

2. Stand fast in the office given to you (verse 2).

3. Repent of your sins, be humble and contrite (verse 3).

4. Know that if you break your covenant with God, the covenant will be void, and you will receive no mercy (verses 4-6).

5. Go where the Lord calls you to go and do what He calls you to do (verses 7-8).

6. At other times, work to provide a living for yourself and your family (verse 9).

7. Be patient in tribulation and seek God early (verse 10).

I have been pondering all week the situation of the early members of the Church, such as the Colesville Saints. They left their homes in New York and traveled to Ohio because the Prophet Joseph Smith told them that he and the body of the Church were moving there. They were in Ohio for only a few weeks when they were told to move to Missouri.

I have wondered if I had faith strong enough to leave my home and possibly friends and family to follow the words of a religious leader. I hope that my faith is strong enough to follow the prophet of the Lord in difficult circumstances, but I find it difficult to know what I would do in a situation that I have not personally faced. I hope and pray that I have faith like that of the Colesville Saints.