Doctrine and Covenants 78, section heading, 14, 7, 18

 

What difference does it make in your life when you are sure that the Lord is leading you along as you strive to meet your needs through your life's journey on earth?

"Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, March 1, 1832. On that day, the Prophet and other leaders had assembled to discuss Church business. This revelation originally instructed the Prophet, Sidney Rigdon, and Newel K. Whitney to travel to Missouri and organize the Church’s mercantile and publishing endeavors by creating a “firm” that would oversee these efforts, generating funds for the establishment of Zion and for the benefit of the poor. This firm, known as the United Firm, was organized in April 1832 and disbanded in 1834 (see section 82). Sometime after its dissolution, under the direction of Joseph Smith, the phrase “the affairs of the storehouse for the poor” replaced “mercantile and publishing establishments” in the revelation, and the word “order” replaced the word “firm.”

1–4, The Saints should organize and establish a storehouse; 5–12, Wise use of their properties will lead to salvation; 13–14, The Church should be independent of earthly powers; 15–16, Michael (Adam) serves under the direction of the Holy One (Christ); 17–22, Blessed are the faithful, for they will inherit all things." (Doctrine and Covenants 78, section heading)

"4 For a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven;" (Doctrine and Covenants 78: 14)

"7 For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.

18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours." (Doctrine and Covenants 78: 7,18)

And here's the introductory commentary to this week's reading assignment: "July 14–20: “I Will Lead You Along” Doctrine and Covenants 77–80 :

"Less than two years after the Church of Jesus Christ was restored, it had more than 2,000 members and was growing quickly. In March 1832, Joseph Smith met with other Church leaders “to discuss Church business”: the need to publish revelations, purchase land to gather on, and care for the poor (see Doctrine and Covenants 78, section heading). To meet these needs, the Lord called on a small number of Church leaders to form the United Firm, a group that would join their efforts to “advance the cause” of the Lord (verse 4) in these areas. But even in such administrative matters, the Lord focused on the things of eternity. Ultimately, the purpose of a printing press or a storehouse—like everything else in God’s kingdom—is to prepare His children to receive “a place in the celestial world” and “the riches of eternity” (verses 7, 18). And if those blessings are hard to comprehend right now, in the midst of the busyness of daily life, He reassures us, “Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along” (verse 18)."

It's amazing to learn and see how the Lord has been leading the leaders of His Church along to meet all the needs of His kingdom on this earth and its members. And even as He would give instructions on how to get the administrative matters taken care of, the Lord still focused on the things of eternity. If the Lord is keeping His focus on things of eternity, pointing out that everything in His kingdom is to prepare His children to receive "a place in the celestial world" and the "riches of eternity", we can do the same thing--keep our vision of the big picture, the blessings God has in store for us. We may not understand exactly how such blessings look like at the moment, and yet keeping it in mind as we go through the busyness of our daily life, will truly make a difference because it will be a lot easier to choose to be of good cheer in whatever circumstance we may find ourselves in since we would definitely feel the assurance that all of God's blessings will be fulfilled.