This life is a life to prepare to return home to God as more responsible individuals. This means taking on responsibilities and learning to be responsible. In order to live in God’s kingdom, we must learn to live its laws, and follow its standards. This includes learning to be good stewards of nature, ourselves, and of other people.
Stewards of Nature
- For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures.
I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine. D&C 104:13-14 - And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, not with much laughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance--
Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;
Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;
Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;
Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.
And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion. D&C 59:15-20
A good essay on the subject (and a very short video): Link
Stewards of Self
The self has three parts, a trifecta of mind, body, and spirit. Each of these needs to be nurtured and protected from harm. The body can be equated to a modern car. The physical, mechanical aspects of the car are its body. The Computer hardware is its calculating mind, and the software is the spirit that makes the hardware function. If any of these things fail, the entire car fails. So, it is with the soul. If mind, body, or spirit fail, the entire soul fails.
Promoting a Healthy Body
Promoting a Healthy Mind
Promoting a Healthy Spirit
Promoting a Healthy Body
- Exercise: Physical – strength, flexibility, endurance
- Food: Eating a balance of healthy foods, whilst avoiding excess and detrimental food
- Avoiding drugs/activities that do more harm than good
- Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: Judges 13:4
- Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations: Lev 10:9
- D&C 89
Promoting a Healthy Mind
- Exercise: Problem solving (puzzles, games, coding, creating)
- Food: Temporal knowledge – Taking classes, reading books, etc.
- Avoiding addiction/mental bondage or impairment (drugs, alcohol, obsessions)
- And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom.
Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;
Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms--
That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you. D&C 88:77-80 - But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. Isa. 28:7
- It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Proverbs 31:4
Promoting a Healthy Spirit
- Exercise: prayer, fasting, and adherence to gospel principles (like love and forgiveness)
- Food: Spiritual understanding – Attending church, studying scriptures
- Avoiding sins/things that harm the spirit (like hate or grudges)
- And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. 2 Ne 31:19-21 - Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. 2 Ne 32:3
Stewards of People
- Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets Matt 22:36-40
There is no enmity in heaven. People are not only expected to try to love one another, this is the natural state of being for which they strive for. To live in heaven, we must have True Charity.