Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional
October 12, 2010
"Making a Living and a Life"
Elder Lynn G. Robbins
First Quorum of the Seventy
“In the beginning”...when Adam and Eve were driven from
the Garden of Eden, the Lord told Adam that he would
thereafter “eat bread in the sweat of [his] face” (Genesis
3:19). Adam really had only one choice as to his life’s
work – he “began to till the earth . . .” we are told in Moses
5:1. He clearly had some challenges that you and I have
not had to face. However, his work environment did have
some advantages. Among others, he was able to set his
own hours and approve his own sick leave and vacation
time and he could not be fired.
He was not tempted by Jones’ law, either, which states
that our needs are determined by what our neighbor has.
Without neighbors there were no property line disputes.
There was no coveting or jealousy, or envy, or selfishness
or any of the sins that come with competition and
comparison.
In fact, Satan had very little to work with – there were very
few sins with which he could tempt Adam and Eve. Think
about it – if you were the first man or woman what could
he tempt you with? Stealing? – no -- from whom?
Coveting – no. Envy?—no. Gossiping? – impossible –
think about it. Living beyond one’s means? – also
impossible. When you reflect on it, most serious sins
involve others and would not become a possibility for
Satan until the human race began to multiply and he could
use competition and comparisons to appeal to the pride
of men.
In President Ezra Taft Benson’s classic talk Beware of
Pride he said that “pride (the universal sin) is essentially
competitive in nature . . .The proud make every man their
adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works,
wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device
against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: ‘Pride gets no
pleasure out of having something, only out of having more
of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes
you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. . .’ (Mere
Christianity, New York: Macmillan, 1952, pp. 109–10.) . .
. Some prideful people are not so concerned as to
whether their wages meet their needs as they are that
their wages are more than someone else’s. Their reward
is being a cut above the rest. This is the enmity of pride.”
(Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989,
4)
The competition that Satan was so anxiously awaiting
could not take place until Adam and Eve began to multiply
and replenish the earth. When it finally did happen, it was
in the work place and in the acquiring of material
possessions where it occurred. It was here that he
claimed Cain as his first victim as Cain fell prey to the
Master Mahan principle “that I may murder and get gain”
(Moses 5:31).
The acquiring of wealth and material possessions would
become Satan’s most fertile ground, tempting mankind
with the cunning strategy that this world is our destiny and
that anything and everything in this world is available for
money.
Working in this world to make a living was part of the
Lord’s plan for His children, not just to survive, but to see
how we would get along with others in making that living
– to see if we would be honest in our dealings with our
fellowmen. Satan quickly recognized the work
environment as a strategic setting to stir up all manner of
sin, including covetousness, jealousies, self-indulgence,
living beyond one’s means, anger, contention in
marriages, infidelity, greed and envy, selfishness, even
theft and murder.
Motives in the work place
Here at BYU Idaho you are learning, not only how to make
a living, but more importantly, how to make a good and
honest living. Your mid-term tests and final exams are
indicators of your progress in preparing for a profession,
but they pale in comparison and importance to the
celestial tests the Lord will be monitoring as He observes
your daily behavior in your dealings with your fellowmen.
What you do to make a living, or how many dollars you
earn, aren’t nearly as important to the Lord as whether
you:
Are building His kingdom including strong and valiant
families.
Are honest in your dealings with your fellowmen and using
your God-given talents in their service;
and if you are filling your life with good works, that
positively impact your community and world.
In Charles Dicken’s classic story, A Christmas Carol,
Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes an amazing
transformation, from a ruthless money lender, to a caring
and charitable businessman and philanthropist. As his
motives evolve in the story, transforming him from a cruel
and stingy miser to a compassionate member of his
community, we witness a marvelous impact on him and
others that touches us profoundly.
The motives that drive people are the hinges upon which
major outcomes swing.
In making a living, the Lord identified two opposite
motivators – God and mammon. We know that money
itself is not evil; in fact, it represents “the sweat of our face”
– a commandment of the Lord. Mammon goes beyond
money to “the love of money” and is referred to as “the
root of all evil” we read in 1 Tim. 6:10.
I want to share some illustrations of the interplay between
a love of God and our fellowmen on the one hand, and the
need to make a living on the other. There are several
combinations of these two motives which, for
demonstration purposes, I will give the following grades:

Grade Primary Secondary
Motivation Motivation
Love of God and Income $
A primary motivation is money, but there is still a love of
fellowmen ©
A- Level
At the A-level, The Lord established the correct order with
priorities as we read in Jacob 2:18-19,, “Before you seek
for riches, seek the kingdom of God. 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 . .
.” At this level the primary motivation is a love of God and
our fellowmen. Of necessity, there is a secondary
motivation to earn a living.
If a love of God and fellowmen is the primary motivation,
then the working man or woman will be a kingdom builder
and a full-tithe payer. They will have a “zeal towards their
fellow men . . . and will be perfectly honest and upright in
all things” (Alma27:27). As a laborer they will be “worthy
of their hire” (Luke 10:7). As an employer they will give a
“just recompense of wages,” (D&C 124:121). They will be
a beloved employer and endeavor to help, not only their
customers, but also their employees and community.
They will have a baker’s dozen mentality with superior
customer service. Sometimes this person will even render
service at no charge to help someone in need, such as
those doctors who travel to Third-world countries to help
the disadvantaged. Their products and services are of
the highest quality.
Those at the A-level aren’t working for mankind, but living
for mankind, trying to lift and help others. In addition to
making a living, they are making a life. They have a
different vision than those at lower levels. Because of
their love for their fellowmen, they define their business in
terms of customers’ needs, such as a builder of homes
rather than merely a brick mason. At levels B through D,
business is usually defined in terms of products and
services rather than customers’ needs.
Grade Primary Motivation Secondary
Motivation
Love of God and
A Income $
fellowmen ©
B Money $ Love of fellowmen ©
B- Level
A love of God can only exist at the A-level, since the
person who loves God would always put Him first, not
being able to serve two masters. At the B-level, the
fellowmen and a genuine desire to provide good products
and services to customers. This could even be an A-level
person or company who has been sidetracked by the
world. It is difficult for a company which goes public to
remain at the A-level. The pressure on the board of
directors and corporate officers to increase the value of
the stock is so great that many lose sight of the A-level
vision that helped them achieve their success in the first
place. Concern for the stockholder and the bottom line
will almost always force an “A” company to the B-level and
sometimes lower.
Grade Primary Motivation Secondary
Motivation
Love of God and
A Income $
fellowmen ©
B Money $ Love of fellowmen ©
Indifferent to clients or
C Love of money $
customers
C- Level
At the C- level, the “love of money” is the only
motivator. The businessman or woman engineers
minimal quality, or the appearance of quality, into their
products and services so that they may be competitive
and survive, but look for the cheapest ways to produce,
without any true concern for their customer. Their
personal integrity is compromised as they begin to
engage in dishonest practices, such as deceptive
advertising and meaningless guarantees. The customer
is often considered a nuisance when problems arise and
usually neglected so that the businessman or woman can
be on to a new customer. Since the business already has
its profit, they are slow to respond to customers with
complaints. You’ve probably had a “C” company sell you
something and then not service it afterward, which not
only frustrated you, but caused you to lose any loyalty
whatsoever to that company. You’ll never shop there
again.
Grade Primary Motivation Secondary
Motivation
Love of God and
A Income $
fellowmen ©
B Money $ Love of fellowmen ©
Indifferent to clients or
C Love of money $
customers

Harmful to clients and
D Filthy Lucre $
customers
D- Level
At the D-level, the unwary are more victims than
customers. Once again the motivation is the love of
money, but this time at the peril of the customer, who will
be harmed and maybe even injured or killed. Profits at
this level are known as “filthy lucre.”
“Filthy Lucre,” President Spencer W. Kimball said, “is that
had through sin or sinful operations and that which comes
from the handling of liquor, beer, narcotics and those
many other things which are displeasing in the sight of the
Lord. . . those who deal in the forbidden are recipients of
filthy lucre.” (Melchizedek Priesthood Personal Study
Guide 1984, p. 84)
This is the category of which the Doctrine and Covenants
warned, “In consequence of evils and designs which do
and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last
days, I have warned you, and forewarn you . . .” (D&C
89:4)
In addition to those things mentioned by President
Kimball, we would also include tobacco, pornography,
prostitution, and gambling, etc. While some of these
things may be legal, they can still be unhealthy, immoral
and maybe even lethal. In his insightful book Winners
Never Cheat, Elder Jon M. Huntsman writes, “Cigarettes
are an example of a legal product that, when used as
directed, causes death. Tobacco companies cloak their
consciences with the simplistic observation that no one
forces people to smoke." (Winners Never Cheat by Jon
M. Huntsman, p 75)
No profession is exempt from Satan’s influence.
The interesting insight with this model is that all
professions, businesses, and services can be found at all
levels or grades A - D.
There are A-level accountants and there are D-level
accountants. The D-level accountant cooks the books,
which occurred at ENRON and WorldCom where
dishonest business practices eventually caused the
business to collapse. Their focus was on the bottom line
at the peril of their customers and shareholders.
There are A-level bankers and D-level bankers.
In the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart
as George Bailey, Bailey’s Savings and Loan is an A-level
bank with a love of their fellowmen and a genuine desire
to help families get out of the low quality housing in
Potter’s Field and into a respectable home of their own.
Potter, on the other hand, was a ruthless and uncaring
man who thought nothing of stealing the $8,000 that Uncle
Billy misplaced in a rolled- up newspaper while making a
deposit.
At one point in the movie, Potter makes George an offer
he can’t refuse, to come and work for Potter at many times
the income George is currently making, including some
very attractive benefits. One of those benefits was
George’s dream --to travel. George is momentarily
mesmerized by the offer, and then realizes he is being
offered a job with a D-level employer. Upset with himself
for even considering the offer, he calls Mr. Potter,
“Nothing but a scurvy little spider” (which is a good
description for a D-level person) and walks out.
In “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge made the transformation
from a ruthless D-level lender as the story begins,
including a total disregard for his fellowmen and a desire
to “decrease the surplus population,” to an A-level
gentleman as the story concludes.
One reason you occasionally hear jokes about attorneys
is because people often consider it a profession that rarely
transcends the D-level. Those at this level were referred
to as “cunning” in The Book of Mormon. (See Alma 10:15)
While it is true that there are lawyers at the D-level, there
are many who are or have been A-level -- Howard W.
Hunter, James E. Faust, Dallin H. Oaks, Quentin L Cook,
D. Todd Christofferson, to name a few. One reason the
book, To Kill a Mockingbird, has become one of the all
time literary classics is because of the inspirational
example of an A-level attorney, Atticus Finch.
Another profession, which people tend to place in the D
category by nature, is politicians. You can think of several
D-level politicians right now, as there are many to choose
from throughout the world.
The A-level politicians are men like King Benjamin and
Mosiah from the Book of Mormon, or George Washington
and Abraham Lincoln from our history books. For these
men money was not their primary motivator, but actually
risked their own fortunes defending their country. They
were true patriots, whose primary motivation was a love
of God, their fellowmen and their country.
What about teachers? It is only fair that they should
receive the same grades that they give their students.
The best teachers get an A. They are often voted
“Teacher of the Year.” D-level teachers are biding their
time until retirement. They don’t really care for the
children in their class and can even damage or destroy a
child’s self-worth by labeling him, calling him names and
publicly ridiculing him.
At our local grade school the vast majority of our childrens’
teachers have been at the A and B-level. However, in two
different years, two of our children were placed in classes
with D-level teachers. The D-nature of each teacher
manifested itself quite quickly. It was clear that these
teachers did not like teaching and did not like children,
often doing cruel things to them. My wife is intolerant of
“C” and “D” level teachers assigned to our children. When
the principal would not or could not move our children to
another classroom and teacher, my wife pulled the
children out of the school and placed them in a distant
school less convenient to our family. The inconvenience
of driving them to the other school was a small price to
pay for the life-impacting benefits gained from the better
teachers that our children received, in those instances.
How about carpenters? Have you ever purchased
anything made by a “C” or “D” level carpenter? What was
the product like? Do you still have it, or did you have to
get rid of it because of poor quality? What kind of
carpenter do you think Brigham Young was? Or the
carpenter from Nazareth?
An A-level store owner gives, in the Savior’s words, a
“good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and
running over” (Luke 6:38), while the D-level store owner
uses “a false balance” (Proverbs 11:1) tipped in his favor.
Even for the respected industry of medicine, there are
doctors at the A-level and there are doctors at the D-level.
A D-level doctor is one who will selfishly perform
unnecessary operations to satisfy his greed, or those who
have signed up with rogue Internet pharmacies and
prescribe dangerous drugs to people they have not
examined. (See “The Pill Peddlers, Reader’s Digest, Oct.
2004, 141)
The Golden Rule – a Principle of Happiness and Success
Sometimes we hear stories of a D-level person who is not
playing by the rules and appears to be prospering and out-
performing those who are playing by the rules, almost as
if they had an unfair advantage. In such cases we feel a
sense of injustice and frustration, as noted in this quote
from Jeremiah 12:1,
“Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?
Wherefore are all they happy that deal very
treacherously?”
Appearances can be deceiving. It may seem that the
wicked are prosperous and happy, but we know that
“wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10) Given
20 more years, who do you think the customers will
naturally gravitate to, George Bailey or Mr. Potter? Who
will be most successful over the long run with the greatest
customer loyalty?
The most basic of all marketing principles is to give the
customer what he or she wants and deserves. It is a
principle that was taught by the Savior which we know as
the golden rule, “Therefore, all things whatsoever ye
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,
for this is the law and the prophets” (3 Ne. 14:12). Many
businesses forget that principle. Some cut corners and
produce inferior products. Some are guilty of price fixing.
Some are guilty of deceptive advertising. These and
many other strategies are the ways Satan tempts men to
serve mammon. The following are some important
questions to ask of everyone in the workforce:
o proven to also have community consequences. Alcohol
o Do you give an honest day’s work for your pay?
o Are you loyal to your employer?
o Are you honest with the customers?
o Are your products and service of the highest
quality?
o Do you charge fair prices?
o Are you concerned for the welfare of your
employees?
Scrooge finally started paying Bob Cratchet a fair wage
and providing comfortable working conditions.
Referring once again to the book, Winners never Cheat,
Elder Huntsman referred to a Wall Street Journal report
which ranked attributes that recruiters looked for in hiring
new personnel. He noted that the three highest ranking
traits were Christ-like attributes—Interpersonal skills, an
ability to work well within a team, and personal integrity.
“Curiously,” he said, “work experience and strategic
thinking were in the middle of the list of the 20 most
desired traits for new hires.” (Winners never Cheat by Jon
M. Huntsman, p 91-92) As the world becomes
increasingly more wicked it will become more and more
difficult to find people of integrity. I believe the search for
people of integrity is already drawing more and more
recruiters to BYU-Idaho. You are a rare and highly prized
commodity.
Three Helpful Principles:
Some decisions that face members of the Church are not
always easy or clear.
Here are three helpful principles to help you make A-level
choices.
Can you ask the Lord’s blessings with a clear conscience?
We learn in Alma 34:24-25 that you can pray for success
in your labors -- “over the crops of your fields, that ye may
prosper in them. . . over the flocks of your fields, that they
may increase.” The Church Handbook of Instruction
teaches us that “Members of the Church should endeavor
to be involved in activities and employment upon which
they can conscientiously ask the blessings of the Lord and
which are consistent with the principles of the gospel and
the teachings of the Savior.” (Church Handbook of
Instructions, Book 1 2006, p. 179)
When questionable products or services are involved, is
the person’s involvement direct or indirect? Can an A-
level grocer, for example, sell coffee and tea to those
customers who know nothing of the Word of Wisdom and
for whom it would not be a sin? The grocer might do so
at the request of his customers to meet their demands
when he clearly would never produce coffee himself. His
involvement is indirect.
Does the product or service hurt society? Some
products and services may be detrimental to the individual
while others damage the community. Coffee and tea, for
example, would be products that have individual
consequences. Alcohol and pornography, however, have
has resulted in traffic accidents and domestic violence;
pornography has led to divorce and broken homes,
pedophilia, rape, murder, etc. “Pornography damages
individual lives, families, and society . . . Church members
should . . . oppose its production, dissemination, and use.”
(Emphasis added, Church Handbook of Instructions,
Book 1 2010, 166)
An A-level company feels a community responsibility that
goes beyond respecting individual agency or rights and
customer demands.
Years ago, while on a stake visit, President Kimball
interviewed a brother who was a grocer by trade. I quote
President Kimball,
“What do you sell in this store?’ . . . ‘Groceries and
miscellaneous merchandise.’ ‘Your competitors sell other
things including forbidden things, do they not?’ I asked.
‘Yes, but we have felt it was not right. . . We lost trade, of
course. People leave our store and go to the other store
and buy many dollar’s worth of groceries where they can
get a few cans of beer or some wine, but we do not sell
it.’ And I could not refrain from saying, ‘God bless you,
my faithful brother. . . . Your dollars are clean.’”
(Melchizedek Priesthood Personal Study Guide 1984, p.
84)
With these additional thoughts, we can add one more
level to the model which we will label “F”.
Grade Primary Secondary
Motivation Motivation
A Love © Income $
B Money $ Love ©
Indifferent to
C Love of money $
customers
D Filthy Lucre $ Harmful to customers
Harmful to customers
F Filthy Lucre and to society, nations
destroyed.
F Level
At this level are the unscrupulous individuals and
companies whose involvement is ‘direct’ and whose
primary business damages or destroys society.
What about those whose involvement in F-level
products and services is not direct, nor is it their
primary business, such as a grocer who sells beer
and wine or pornographic magazines fearing he will
lose business if doesn’t provide it? Because his
primary business and motivation is good, he may not
be at the D or F-level, but due to his disregard for
principle #3 above, and as an abettor of the forbidden,
he is now excluded from the A category as that level
has been compromised.
Many at the F-level were identified earlier at the D-
level, but may actually fit better at this level because
of their negative impact on communities and nations.
At this level, we also find the parasites of society,
those who don’t contribute, but only take -- organized
crime, con artists, internet scams, Ponzi schemes,
etc. At this level, you have murder and elimination of
competition. It is at this level where secret
combinations operate, like the Gadiantons who
destroyed both the Jaredite and the Nephite
civilizations and according to Moroni will be a very
real threat in our day. (see Ether 8:24.) These are they
who by secret design and murder place their friends
on the “judgment seats” of the world --dictators and
tyrants who destroy nations. The Apostle Paul
referred to such individuals as “rulers of the darkness
of this world.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Some at this level, like purveyors of pornography,
justify their wares based upon law and legality. Will
freedom of speech protect pornography in the New
Jerusalem? Absurd! The phrases, “Pro-choice” and
“Freedom of Speech” when promoted by Satan, are
really evil euphemisms masquerading as good – a
wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing who is demanding
to dine with the sheep.
A-level and a Zion Society
Speaking of the New Jerusalem and life in the
millennium, work in a Zion society will be guided by
the law of consecration and having all things in
common. Because the earth has ‘enough and to
spare’ there will be no unemployment in the
millennium. The great millennial motivators will be
the first two great commandments, a love of God and
a love of fellowmen. It was these same A-level
motivators that resulted in the great prosperity and
happiness enjoyed in both the City of Enoch and with
the Nephites for 200 years following the Savior’s visit
to them. One way to prepare for future life in the
millennial day is to make sure our motives and
behavior are at the A-level today.
President Benson mentioned that, “It was essentially
the sin of pride that kept us from establishing Zion in
the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was the same
sin of pride that brought consecration to an end
among the Nephites. (See 4 Ne. 1:24–25)
Pride seduces a person from the A-level to the B-level
or lower. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for a
proud person to remain at the A-level, because of the
“enmity” he has towards his fellowmen men, citing
Pres. Benson. (ibid) This enmity is opposite the love
of God and our fellowmen which is the first motivator
at the A-level.
Conclusion
A common and recurring nightmare for many people
is to suddenly realize they have forgotten to attend
class all semester, and it is now time for the final
exam. In the dream, they are panic stricken
wondering how they could have ever been so absent-
minded, with no time remaining to turn in
assignments or to cram for the imminent final exam.
They are grateful to awaken in the morning and realize
it was only a dream.

This dream has a parallel. For many it will be a

nightmare come true, when at judgment day, they
realize they neglected the most important class of
their life and are totally unprepared for the ultimate of
all final exams. Alma forewarned of the nightmare
when he asked, “can ye imagine yourselves brought
before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with
guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your
guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance . . . ? (Alma 5:18)

In A Christmas Carol, Marley is living this nightmare,

bound in the chains he “forged in life, link by link.”
He vocalizes the nightmare, in response to a
comment made by Scrooge, “But you were always a
good man of business, Jacob.” “Business!” cried
Marley, . . . “Mankind was my business. The common
welfare was my business; charity, mercy,
forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my
business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop
of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!
. . . Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings
with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to
that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor
abode? Were there no poor homes to which its light
would have conducted me!” (The Annotated
Christmas Carol, ed. Michael Patrick Hearn (1976), 79)

I mentioned your mid-term tests and final exams as

indicators of your progress in preparing for a
profession, but said they pale in comparison and
importance to the celestial tests the Lord will be
monitoring as He observes your daily behavior in
your dealings with your fellowmen. In your pursuit of
an income, may you remember, as Marley stated, that
mankind is your true business. You should be
congratulated if you earn “A” grades here at BYU-
Idaho, but they are meaningless if you don’t achieve
the more important “A” grade in life. The Savior is
your example in becoming an A-level individual.

In conclusion, may each of you be guided by the Spirit

in all your employment decisions -- in finding A-level
employment and in being an A-level employee,
yourself. May you each use your God-given talents in
the service of your fellowmen and making your
communities and world a better place to live.

I bear my testimony of the Savior and his perfect

example. His desire is for you to be happy and
successful -– and to make both a living and a life. He
said, “I am come that they might have life, and that
they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) He
cares for you and will bless you as you follow true and
correct principles, I so testify in the name of Jesus
Christ, Amen.