But Whosoever Shall Do and Teach Them...

The title of this post refers to Matthew 5:19 when Christ is, in a way, introducing His Sermon on the Mount. He says: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Between these two groups of people that Christ presents, I want to be part of the latter group. Consequently, this means that I must know His commandments so that I can do and teach them. Here is a list of the commandments presented in the Sermon on the Mount:

1. Whosoever is angry with his brother...shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire...first be reconciled to thy brother...
2. Agree with thine adversary quickly...
3. Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery...
4. Whosoever shall put away his wife...causeth her to commit adultery...
5. Swear not at all...
6. Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay...
7. Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also...Give to him that sketch thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
8. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.
9. Be ye therefore perfect
10. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men...
11. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are...
12. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...
13. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance....
14. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...
15. If therefore thine eye be sings, thy whole body shall be full of light.
16. No man can serve two masters...
17. Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink...But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 
18. Judge note, that ye be not judged...
19. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs...
20. Ask, and it shall be given you....
21. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them....
22. Enter ye in at the strait gate...
23. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing... 
24. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father... 

I noticed an interesting pattern in the Lord's teachings during the Sermon on the Mount. It seems as though he introduces the new commandments and/or changes to doctrine throughout the chapter, then near the end he gives a brief, one-sentence statement that sums up the new commandments he just gave. Those are highlighted in the list above. This is evidence of the Christ's teaching ability, and his complete understanding of the will and doctrine of the Father. He came, not only to show us the way through His perfect example, but also to teach us the way through His sermons and interactions with others.

The Lord's Financial Plan

I'm amazed at how the Lord seems to take care of finances. In my reading of the book Saints there are many times when the Lord counsels his disciples to "concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them." (p. 259). If anyone were to doubt the Lord's "power to pay them", let us remember how Christ himself paid his "debt" or tribute money in Matthew 17: "Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou has opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee." (v. 27). Furthermore, Jacob taught the Nephite people: "But before ye seek riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God." (Jacob 2:18).

All that being said. I may be sending the wrong message. I don't think the Lord is telling us not to think about how we manage our money because He is just going to miraculously take care of it for us all the time. On the contrary, the Lord also has counseled us to have a house of order (D&C 88:119). Modern prophets and apostles have also counseled: "if there is anything that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means. And if there is any one thing that is grinding and discouraging and disheartening, it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet." (Gospel Standards: Sermons and Writings of Heber J. Grant, comp. G. Homer Durham [1941], 111). We do need to make sure that we are wise with our finances.

The main idea I would like to convey is that we need to let the Lord into our finances. He will support and sustain us in times of financial need. We can assuredly follow His counsel: "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not," (D&C 6:36) even, and maybe especially, in our finances.



The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (2018). Saints: The standard of truth. Salt Lake City: UT.