Idleness

“You shall not be idle, for he that is idle shall not eat the bread, nor wear the garment of the laborer.” T&C 26:10

“But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Tim. 1:13

It is apparent that Zion will require endless labor to reverse the fall and allow the covenant promise to be realized: “The earth will yield its increase, and you will flourish upon the mountains and upon the hills, and the wicked will not come against you because the fear of the Lord will be with you.” T&C 158:14

For the earth to “yield” will require her to give way to persistent effort to reclaim the paradise that is possible here, if she is tended to by a husbandman willing to work by the sweat of his brow. Gen. 2:8-18

There will be no magic, only great effort. And the wicked (including the idler who is unwilling to labor for their bread and weave for their garment) will not come up to Zion, because they fear the great effort required there.

Learn a trade. Become competent at providing service, cultivating the earth, tending flocks, forging metal, harvesting lumber, performing carpentry, weaving, sewing, and a thousand other needed tasks for surviving and prospering.

The fellowships are a laboratory in which daily interaction allows believers to learn about one another. Idlers are proving themselves. Laborers are also proving themselves. God is also watching. This is a valuable, but temporary, time of proving. It will be followed by an even greater time of labor, sacrifice, and proving.