Grant me but health and give me but this fair goddess Liberty as my companion. Money is a thing which none of us can afford to hate, but it is neither God nor Devil; that should make one noble nor another vile. Money is the set of assets in the economy that people regularly use to buy goods and services. The cash in your wallet is money because you can use it to buy a meal at a restaurant or a house from a real estate agency. By contrast, if you happened to own most of Microsoft Corporation, as Bill Gates does, you would be wealthy, but this asset is not considered a form of money. You could not buy a meal or a house with this wealth without first obtaining some cash. Money includes only those few types of wealth that are regularly accepted by sellers in exchanges for good and services. Money is a medium of exchange, a unit of account and a store of value. When it comes to overcoming being greedy, selfish, and overly indulgent, we all need a lot more help. The worst fear I have about the people is that they will get rich in this country and forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church. My great fear is that they cannot stand wealth. Many people believe in money, power, and respect. It is believed that first you get the money, then you get the power. And after you get the power, people will respect you. Several individuals believe that money, power, and respect are what you need in life, and that it will help you eat right, sleep at night, and that you will see the light. These types of people worship money as if it is a God, and they will take your money while you pout about it because the things they can buy with your money will attract people to them, and make them desirable.  RandolphHarris 1 of 13

These vipers will take a life to get rich quick. They will set you up to get your money and get away with it. There are people who gain from their wealth only the fear of losing it. If all you get from your wealth is the wrong view of it, wealth will destroy your peace and you are no different than a debt-ridden consumer. Therefore, the answer to happiness is emotional well-being, and spiritual maturity. True wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. Be thankful for what you have; you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you do not have, you will never, ever have enough. Money will bring about unlikely things. Try and keep clear of wanting small sums that you do not have. Our prosperity brings some real challenges because many are getting rich, more of us are waxing fat, and as a result of greed, selfishness, and overindulgence, we could lose the Spirit and literally kick ourselves out of the Church. Money and material things are on the mind of almost everyone. The great question many want to know is how they can acquire wealth? No question occupies a larger place in the minds and hearts of people today, and this is true of people in every occupation and in every walk of life. With the generality of humankind, money will purchase respect as well as everything else. Money in and of itself is not an evil, but it is the love of money that is the root of evil. Money, the common mistress of all cheats, makes them regard each other in the light of rivals. However, there are some of the wealthy who deal with their prosperity very well using their resources to bless others and build the kingdom. For man, however, wealth presents major difficulties. Loss of money is not the worst pain in itself, but loss of God is. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13

As we deal with the materialism that threatens us, we should not confuse wants with needs. My mother taught me an important lesson along these lines. For many years my father had a practice of trading for a new car every year. Then, shortly before recession in 2001, when the grain prices increased, we were surprised one day when my Dad drove home in a more expensive car. One morning my mother asked, “How much did the new car cost than the other one?” When my Dad told her, my mother said, “Well, the other car has always been able to get me where I need to go. I think we ought to give the difference to someone who needs it more than we do.” And so it was. The next year Dad returned to the less-expensive cars, and they continued their generous ways. Little did I know, he has saved the car for me and when I needed it, I went to pick it up, paid the registration on it, and am still driving it today. If we are not careful, it is easy for our wants to become needs. Remember the line, “There, there, little luxury, do not cry. You will be a necessity by and by.” God will take the stars of your life and turn them into stars, and will pay you back double for anything you lost. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13

We should avoid spoiling children by giving them too much. In our day, many children grow up with distorted values because parents overindulge them. Whether you are wealthy, or like most of us of more modest means, parents often attempt to provide children with almost everything they want thus taking away from them the blessing of anticipating, of longing for something they do not have. One of the most important things we can teach children is to deny themselves. Instant gratification generally makes for weak people. How many truly great individuals do you know who never had to struggle? A few of our wonderful youth and young adults in the Church are unstretched. They have almost a free pass. Perks are provided, including cars complete with fuel and insurance—all paid for by parents who sometimes listen in vain for a few courteous and appreciative words. What is thus taken for granted tends to underwrite selfishness and a sense of entitlement. When you become weary and feel like quitting, there is a way to have your strength renewed—wait on the Lord. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13

We all grow tired sometimes, tired of trying to make a business grow, tired of dealing with an ailment, tired of raising a difficult child, tired of being lonely and waiting to meet the right person. We can even be doing what we love, but if we are not careful, we can lose our passion and allow weariness to set in. Children who always get what they want will want as long as they live. And somewhere along the line it is important for the character development of our children to learn that the Earth still revolves around the Sun, and not around them. Rather, we should train our children to ask themselves the question: How is the World a better place because they are in it? We live in a world of entertainment in full color with a lot of fast action, a World in which many children grow up thinking that if it is not fun, it is boring and not worthwhile. Even in family activities, we need to strike a balance between play and work. Some of our most memorable experiences while growing up centered around family activities: learning how to shingle a roof, build a fence, or working in the garden. Rather than being all work and no play, for many of our children it is almost all play and very little work. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13

Frequently do we labor to secure the things that debase us into slaves, and overwhelm us with calamity. As a consequence of overindulgence, many children leave homes ill-prepared to meet the real World. Of course, we need to earn a living. The Lord told Adam that in the sweat of his face he should he eat bred all the days of his life, which means as long as you are doing something productive, you will be able to provide for yourself. It is important that we qualify ourselves to be self-reliant, particularly that every young person at the time of marriage be ready and able to assume the responsibilities of providing for one’s companion and for the children who may come to that home. All too many enter marriage who have never learned to cook, sew, or develop other important like skills. Ignorance of these skills, along with the lack of understanding of the management of money, sow the seeds for many failures in our marriages. Wisdom cannot be grafted on the stock of slavery: justice cannot be established without denunciation and disapproval of the wrong. I fear that in many cases we are rearing children who are slaves to expensive fads and fashions. For Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13

People who have plots in their heads as seldom have good nights as deserve them. How do we determine where our treasure is? To do so, we need to evaluate the amount of time, money, and thought we devote to something. Might it not be well to evaluate how much focus we place on shopping and spending? This does not mean that our children should not dress in some of the appropriate clothing that is in fashion because that can be very important to them. As members of the Church, we have a responsibility to present ourselves in a well-groomed, attractive, and modest manner. With good planning, this can be done without being driven to spend extravagantly on our clothing. People of the church began to have egotistical pride and take advantage of others because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel. What sort of liberty is it whose chosen religion is its slave-market? #RandolphHarris 7 of 13

Children today are often left with no role model in the home. Instead they turn to the television and video games. It seems that for many people in today’s society, money has become the thing they most cherish. It is apparent in the endless hours many people devote to their job. For some, their identity is wrapped into how much money they have. Money may be the only thing they even want to talk about, or the measure by which they judge themselves and others. With the constant talk of how to make money, or save money, it may lead you to wonder: Is money more important than family in today’s society? For millions of people, family still comes first. Without family, many people realize they would have very little in their lives, or that the things they had would no longer mean much. For people with real values, they realize that money is a means to support their families. However, as long as their basic needs are being met, they would rather be poor but surrounded by family than rich and alone. Such people recognize the value of love and of human connectedness. They realize that life about giving and being there for others. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13

However, not all people feel this way, especially in today’s materialistic society. Many, in fact, value money far more than anything else. They dream of having money, and they will go to any end to acquire it. They will sacrifice having a family, in the name of attaining a certain career level. Some may have a family, but completely neglect it due to work and the priorities placed on work. These people may think they love their families, but their energies, time and devotion are all dedicated to their jobs. Remember, it is in our actions that we truly show where are priorities are. Even worse, countless people feel that as long as they make money and can buy their kids whatever gadgets or clothes they may desire, then they are being good to their family. People mistakenly believe that they can buy their children’s love, or substitute their lack of parenting with monetary things. The priority placed on money is evident everywhere you look. You can read the news on any given day and see tragic and horrific results of the breakdown of the family. Those who place money before the family are failing to teach their children proper values, and they are not properly guiding them through key stages of a child’s development. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13

Clearly, they will not be taught values or compassion through such medium. Instead, they are more likely to be exposed to violent images or self-centered fictitious characters. And, there will late be consequences for these children’s lack of parenting. Many say that money is not more important than family, but live in ways that does not reflect this sentiment. In fact, these people instead worship money and do not prioritize being there for their family. They would even set a family member up to die, as long as they could profit for the death and demise. Let us hope that one day soon there will be a shift—one in which people start to realize that money will not buy them happiness, especially not if they have to result to criminal activity. A guilty conscious is a normal human response experienced by someone who is aware of having done something wrong. We should live modestly and avoid debt as if it were a plague. If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means, and if there is any one thing that is grinding, and discouraging and disheartening it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13

Do not accustom yourself to consider debt as an inconvenience, you will find it to be a calamity. How much house do we really need to accommodate our family comfortably? We should not endanger ourselves either spiritually or economically by acquiring homes which are ostentatious, feed our vanity, and go far beyond our needs. If we are to be self-reliant and in position to share, obviously we must acquire some resources. If we live within our means and avoid debt, resources can be accumulated. There are those with average incomes who, over a lifetime, do amass some means, and there are those who receive large salaries who do not. What is the difference? It is simply spending less than they receive, saving along the way, and taking advantage of the power of compound intertest. Most people have it all wrong about wealth. Wealth is not the same as income. If you make a good income each year, and spend it all, you are not getting wealthier. You are just living high. Wealth is what you accumulate, not what you spend. Be generous in giving and sharing with others. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13

The more our hearts and minds are turned to assisting others less fortunate than we are, the more we will avoid the spiritually canker effects that results from greed, selfishness, and overindulgence. Our resources are a stewardship, not our possessions. I am confident that we will literally be called upon to make an accounting before God concerning how we have used them to bless lives and build the kingdom. However, before you seek for riches, seek the kingdom of God. And after you have obtained a hope in Christ you shall obtain riches, if you 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. We must have the courage to examine honestly where our treasures lie and avoid the pitfalls that result from greed, selfishness, and overindulgence.  Remember, do not confuse wants with needs. Avoid spoiling our children. Live modestly, and avoid debt. Be generous in giving to others. Let me tell you a secret you should disclose, giving really is at the heart of our faith. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13

God, our Heavenly Father, so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son, who came to the Earth and could have possessed any material thing but rather chose to give to all us an example of a simple life free from any shade of greed, selfishness, or overindulgence. May we strive daily to love more like Christ lived, the ultimate example of a life of depth and meaning. I testify that Jesus is Christ, this is His Church led by living prophets, and His tomb was literally empty on that third day. Your challenge may be difficult, but you can handle it. God have given you the grace for this season. If we were not up to this, God would not have brought it across your path. In tough times, remind yourself there is always a reward for doing what is right. God never fails to compensate you. He pays very well. The season may be difficult because the reward is coming. Perhaps the battle you are facing has lasted long than you though it would. You have prayed. You have believed. You have done what you are supposed to, but there it is. How will you shake off the weariness and see God’s promises come to pass? A big part of faith is trusting God when you do not understand why things happen the way they do. Strength is coming into your body and mind. Just receive it by faith.  In Jesus name, Amen. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13