Lay Aside the things of this World and Seek for Something Better

Today I read a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 25:10 that jumped out at me.  The scripture is short, but powerful and important to consider:

Verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.

One of the scriptures that was a cross reference to this one is found in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 6:17, which is:

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

As I reflected on both of these scriptures, it reminded me of a story that my Grandfather told me.

Shortly after the depression, he and his father and brother had purchased a ranch close to Sun Valley, Idaho.  They lived in Central Utah and had been raised there, but the opportunity and growth in that area looked promising.  My grandfather had a very small family at the time and was recently married.  His father, my great-grandfather (we called him Grandpa Dough-head because he would tease us and call us little dough-heads) was very excited about the opportunity to partner with his sons and start a new adventure.

(This is a picture of my great-grandfather, Don Lyman Anderson when young)

Shortly before leaving and selling their things in Utah, my great-grandpa was called to be a bishop.  For those who do not know what this means, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) members from the congregations are called to voluntarily serve as pastors of the congregations.  One scripture that my great-grandfather lived by is the one found in Matthew 6:33 which is:

Butseek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

While his personal desire was to go to the ranch with his sons, my great-grandfather loved God and His kingdom more than the things of the world.  He told his sons to go ahead without him as he felt called to serve as the bishop of the congregation, which he faithfully did for a number of years.

Just a few years after they bought the ranch, my grandfather and great-uncle were forced to sell the ranch and go their separate ways because the ranch wasn’t producing as they had hoped and couldn’t sustain two families.

Although the ranch proved to not be successful, I think it is a great example that my great-grandpa chose to follow God regardless of the outcome.  I’m confident that he is now in a better world now as he passed away when I was 4 years old.

(This is “Grandpa Dough-head” as I remember him when I was a little boy)

As I reflect on this story and the scriptures mentioned, I wonder how well I’m doing with not putting things of the world before the kingdom of God.  I hope that I can continue the legacy that my grandpa left and put God first and pass it down to my kids.

Do you have any personal stories that have inspired you about those who have put the kingdom of God first?