Links for other months: January, February, March, April, May, July, August, September, October, November, December
June, Week 1
Day 1
Primary
1. Today read Doctrine and Covenants 51.
2. One group of Saints arrived in Thompson, Ohio, and tried to live the law of consecration. However, Leman Copley broke his covenant to consecrate his land to the Church, leaving many Saints without a place to stay. These Saints followed a revelation from the Lord and moved to Missouri. Under the Lord’s direction, Joseph Smith and other elders traveled to Missouri for a conference. There, the Lord revealed they should build Zion in Missouri.
3. Watch the video “The Knights and Others Gather to Zion.”
Youth
1. Today read Doctrine and Covenants 51.
2. One group of Saints arrived in Thompson, Ohio, and strived to live the law of consecration. However, Leman Copley broke his covenant to consecrate his land to the Church, leaving many Saints without a place to stay. These Saints followed a revelation from the Lord and moved to Missouri. Under the Lord’s direction, Joseph Smith and other elders traveled to Missouri for a conference. There, the Lord revealed they should build Zion in Missouri.
3. How will we be held accountable for our stewardship? Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
At some future day, you and I will each hear the voice of the Lord calling us forward to render an account of our mortal stewardship. This accounting will occur when we are called up to “stand before [the Lord] at the great and judgment day” [2 Nephi 9:22] …
… The Savior Himself knew, as we should also know, that He was accountable to His Father. He taught that His sacred stewardship was “to do the will of him [who] sent me” [John 4:34]. In His great intercessory prayer, the Lord reported to the Father, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” [John 17:4].
When we are living righteously, we rejoice that we can report positively our worthiness and our preparation for continued blessings, whether they be … the blessings of temple attendance … or the blessings of service in whatever our calling might be.
Such mortal experiences give us the opportunity to assess what we are doing with our lives. All help us school our souls and strengthen our characters in preparation for that final interview. (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “True to the Truth,” Ensign, May 1997, 16, 17)
4. Why is the Lord concerned with temporal things? President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught:
Let us ever keep in mind that all material things are but a means to an end, that the end is spiritual, although the Lord is anxious and willing to bless his people temporally. He has so indicated in many of the revelations. He has pointed out, time and time again, that we should pray over our crops, over our livestock, over our households, our homes, and invoke the Lord’s blessings upon our material affairs. And he has promised that he will be there and ready and willing to bless us. …
… The Lord will not do for us what we can and should do for ourselves. But it is his purpose to take care of his Saints. Everything that concerns the economic, social, and spiritual welfare of the human family is and ever will be the concern of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson [2014], 265–66)
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Doctrine and Covenants 52.
2. Full-time missionaries are not the only ones who can share the gospel. When the Lord sent several Church leaders to Missouri, he told them to make use of the time spent traveling and “preach by the way.” How can you share the gospel “by the way,” or during the normal events of your life?
3. Listen to the song “I Want to Be a Missionary Now.”
Youth
1. Read Doctrine and Covenants 52.
2. A gathering of the Church convened at Kirtland, Ohio, on 3 June 1831. So important was this conference that letters were sent to the missionaries calling them all to Kirtland. Efforts were also made to bring the New York Saints to Ohio. During this conference, a significant new office was conferred upon a number of the brethren, that of high priest in the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Prophet Joseph Smith received the spirit of prophecy and prophesied that John the Revelator was among the ten tribes preparing them to return from their long dispersion. The Prophet recorded that “harmony prevailed” and “faith was strengthened.” Many desired to obey the Lord’s commandments but were uncertain about what specifically they could do. On the day following the conclusion of the conference the Prophet was given specific calls and instructions in what is now Doctrine and Covenants 52.
3. One purpose of this revelation was to call certain brethren to travel as missionaries from Ohio to Missouri. Twenty-eight missionaries were called in this revelation; however, thirty actually went—one of the original twenty-eight did not go, and three more were called later. In this revelation, the Lord set a standard for missionaries and teachers: they should teach those things that He has revealed to His prophets and Apostles, that which is taught to them through the influence of the Holy Ghost. Many problems arise when people begin to offer their personal opinions as doctrines of the Church.
4. Elder Bruce R. McConkie bore the following testimony:
“The truth of all things is measured by the scriptures. That which harmonizes with them should be accepted; that which is contrary to their teachings, however plausible it may seem for the moment, will not endure and should be rejected.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 765.)
5. Some elders were not assigned to go as missionaries to Missouri. These men were assigned to stay home and be the priesthood leaders for the Saints in Kirtland. By laboring with their own hands for their support, rather than being paid for their priesthood service, these brethren would help prevent idolatry and priestcraft from springing up in the Church. The Lord warned that one of the characteristics of the last days would be that “every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his God … whose substance is that of an idol” (D&C 1:16). When people set their hearts on natural things, or prestige, or power to the point that God is no longer supreme, then that becomes as god to them. They worship, or give allegiance to, those things.
Day 3
Primary
1. Today read Doctrine and Covenants 56.
2. In this section, the Lord spoke both to the rich and to the poor. What was His advice to them?
3. Listen to the song “The Holy Ghost.”
Youth
1. Today read Doctrine and Covenants 56.
2. In this section, the Lord spoke both to the rich and to the poor, and some had blessings revoked.
3. Elder James E. Talmage noted that “only the rebellious, those who will not obey the commandments of God are to be thus dealt with, are to have their blessings revoked; only these will forfeit the blessings to which they were entitled. In another revelation given shortly after that, Section 58, the Lord takes people to task because they were in the habit of saying—and he might well take some of us to task, for we still say it—that the Lord doesn’t keep his word, that he makes promises and fails to fulfil them.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1921, p. 113.)
4. How Does One Overcome Selfishness?
“Selfishness consists in caring unduly or supremely for oneself; it is one of the lusts of the flesh which must be overcome by those who gain salvation. A selfish person clings to his own comfort, advantage, or position at the expense of others. Men are commanded to repent of their pride and selfishness. (D. & C. 56:8.) In practice the way to do this is to serve in the Church and make generous financial contributions to sustain its programs.” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 701.)
5. What Should Be the Attitude of the Poor? President George Albert Smith warned against taking what belongs to others. After quoting Doctrine and Covenants 56:17 he said:
That is the situation of many of our own brothers and sisters in America with all the blessings that we enjoy—better wages, better homes, better opportunities for education than have ever been known before. Yet we have today men who not only will not work themselves, but they also will not permit somebody else to be employed. They are not willing to earn their living by work, but they propose to take it from the rich man. …
We must not fall into the bad habits of other people. We must not get into the frame of mind that we will take what the other man has. Refer back to the ten commandments, and you will find one short paragraph, ‘Thou shalt not covet.’ That is what is the matter with a good many people today. They are coveting what somebody else has, when as a matter of fact, many of them have been cared for and provided with means to live by those very ones from whom they would take away property.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1949, pp. 170, 172.)
Day 4
Primary
1. Read Doctrine and Covenants 57.
2. As the Lord revealed more about Zion to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Saints felt anxious and excited to be part of such a community. Once it was revealed where Zion was to be built, the Lord instructed certain individuals to begin establishing the community.
3. Today, read the 6th Article of Faith and see if you can memorize it.
We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7
4. Listen to the 6th Article of Faith song.
Youth
1. Read Doctrine and Covenants 57.
2. As the Lord revealed more about Zion to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Saints felt anxious and excited to be part of such a community. Once it was revealed where Zion was to be built, the Lord instructed certain individuals to begin establishing the community.
3. Today, read the 6th Article of Faith and see if you can memorize it.
We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7
4. Listen to the 6th Article of Faith song.
5. How can we know how to help others and build Zion? Sister Michelle D. Craig, formerly of the Young Women General Presidency, taught:
I witness that Jesus Christ loves us and can give us eyes to see—even when it’s hard, even when we’re tired, even when we’re lonely, and even when the outcomes are not as we hoped. Through His grace, He will bless us and increase our capacity. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, Christ will enable us to see ourselves and see others as He does. With His help, we can discern what is most needful. We can begin to see the hand of the Lord working in and through the ordinary details of our lives—we will see deeply. (Michelle D. Craig, “Eyes to See,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 17)
