Full consecration

I just realized that there is a more complete version of the law of consecration that we are not yet generally following. We are under covenant to consecrate all that we have received or will receive to the Lord’s church for the building up of the kingdom and the establishment of Zion but there is a second part whereby we receive from the church out of all that has been consecrated an inheritance according to our wants and needs over which we are stewards and of which we will consecrate back any excess. This is a law that we lived as missionaries and perhaps it is lived by general authorities of the church who are provided an income for their full time service but it is not lived generally by the membership.

One distinction between this consecration and the church’s care for the poor is that giving for a consecrated insurance is only for covenant members while charity to the poor can be given to any in need whether in the church or out but we do not give perpetual inheritance properties to those who have not entered the covenant.

I expect we will follow this bilateral consecration throughout the church when we build New Jerusalem.