In the book Predictably Irrational, Duke University professor Dan Ariely examines a number of situations where monetizing something cheapens it. For example, if you offered to pay your mother-in-law for preparing a Thanksgiving dinner, she would probably be insulted. Some things have intrinsic value which cannot and should not be measured in terms of money.
Multiple places in the scriptures, God cautions us against prioritizing monetary wealth over eternal blessings. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus counseled:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
3 Nephi 13:19-21; Matthew 6:19-21
On the one hand, this passage distinguishes between two types of acquisitions: treasures in heaven and treasures on earth. But by referring to them both as “treasures,” it also places them in adjacent categories. The overall message is this: Things that last longer are more valuable, so things that you can keep after you die are more valuable than things you will lose when you die.
Later in the same sermon, He urges us not to worry excessively about temporal necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter, observing, “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (3 Nephi 13:32; Matthew 6:32). He then proffers the following guidance and promise:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
3 Nephi 13:33; Matthew 6:33
Since God has all power, the payoff for building a relationship with Him and contributing to His priorities is that He will provide us with the temporal things we need.
The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob echoes this advice. Speaking to his people, many of whom had become obsessed with the acquisition of worldly wealth, he said:
Before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
Jacob 2:18
This admonition is nearly identical to the first part of the passage above. But Jacob’s version of the promise is more detailed:
And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
Jacob 2:19
Jacob’s version of the promise adds the following elements: First, there’s a delay before “all these things” are “added unto you.” It only happens “after ye have obtained a hope in Christ.” Second, you will obtain temporal riches only “if ye seek them.” There is a possibility that you seek the kingdom of God without ever seeking worldly wealth. Third, instead of only providing for our temporal needs, God will give us more, but with the intent to benefit other people. With an abundance of earthly treasure, we are in a position to “clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.”
On two occasions in 1829, Joseph Smith received revelations which contained nearly identical warnings about pursuing worldly wealth. The first revelation was directed to his scribe, Oliver Cowdery, and the second was for his brother, Hyrum. Here is the warning which they both received:
Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
Doctrine and Covenants 6:7; Doctrine and Covenants 11:7
In these revelations, there is no seeking sequence. The Lord doesn’t say, “First seek wisdom, and then seek riches.” He tells them to seek wisdom instead of riches, with a promise that they will receive both. This promise tracks closely with the story of the newly-crowned king Solomon, who requested wisdom instead of “riches, wealth, or honour” and received all of the above. (See 2 Chronicles 1:7-12.) But there is a difference. Unlike Solomon, Oliver and Hyrum were not promised worldly wealth. Their wisdom would lead to a different kind of riches—things of eternal value, not things which can be priced, bought, and sold.
Today, I will seek for things of eternal worth, including wisdom, relationships, and a strong connection with God. I will remember that earthly possessions are in God’s hands, and that when He blesses me with them, He expects me to share them. I will also remember that true wealth is not measurable in dollars, so the people who are truly wealthiest may not appear to be so in worldly terms.
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