"Feast Upon That Which Perisheth Not"

So a few different times on my mission I was witness to a discussion about this scripture. It is powerful and important.

2 Ne. 9:51 - “Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.”

These discussions would always end up with some list (always similar but usually different) of things that are lasting; things that can be taken with us into the eternities. This led me to ponder and search the scriptures for an authoritative list. In order to feast upon that which perisheth not we need to know what that might be. Only when we understand and internalize what makes something have "no worth" or what activities "cannot satisfy" can we act appropriately and wisely.

A quote I heard by Neal A. Maxwell brings out almost all of these and states something which struck me deeply:

“Remember, we take our knowledge, skills, and attributes with us not only into marriage--but also into eternity. Knowledge rises with us in the resurrection, and the limitations on our luggage then will not be limitations of volume but of kind.” (Taking up the Cross - BYU devotional)

Just let that boldified part simmer a little bit, it's deep stuff.

Here is the list, essentially identified by Elder Maxwell, with some scriptural backing.

1. Intelligence, Knowledge, Memories, Testimony

Obviously the most well known scripture for this category is D&C 130:18-19:

"Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come."

Alma 11:43 and 2 Ne. 9:13-14 both speak of the time after we have been resurrected and are about to be judged. From Jacob in 2 Nephi:

"they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect. Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness"

Amulek lays down the law explaining to Zeezrom that "The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt."

So we know that our knowledge and intelligence rises with us. And from these two second scriptures I believe it is suggested that we will remember what we have done and experienced perfectly, whether for good or evil. Testimony is sometimes put in its own category but what is testimony? Dallin H. Oaks defined it:

"A testimony of the gospel is a personal witness borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost that certain facts of eternal significance are true and that we know them to be true. Such facts include the nature of the Godhead and our relationship to its three members, the effectiveness of the Atonement, and the reality of the Restoration." ("Testimony" CR April 2008)

Testimony is knowledge. He later makes that point even more clearly.

So here are things that do not perish. There is, however, a point that needs to be made early on, which applies to all of these. David A. Bednar makes the point:

"A hierarchy of importance exists among the things you and I can learn. Indeed, all learning is not equally important. The Apostle Paul taught this truth in his second epistle to Timothy as he warned that in the latter days many people would be 'ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth' (2 Timothy 3:7)." (Learning to Love Learning - BYU commencement ceremony)

So, while all knowledge will rise with us, that does not mean that any time we are doing anything that increases our knowledge we are "feasting upon that which perisheth not" or doing something of eternal value. And just as all learning is not equally important, so it is with the other categories.

2. Who or what we are (our character, nature, condition, attributes, etc.)

Dallin H. Oaks explained this very well, and as he cited most of the scriptures I found, his quote will get us pretty far:

"In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.... The prophet Nephi describes the Final Judgment in terms of what we have become: 'And if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God' (1 Ne. 15:33; emphasis added). Moroni declares, 'He that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still' (Morm. 9:14; emphasis added; see also Rev. 22:11-12; 2 Ne. 9:16; D&C 88:35). The same would be true of 'selfish' or 'disobedient' or any other personal attribute inconsistent with the requirements of God....

"From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts--what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts--what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become." ("The Challenge to Become" CR October 2000)

Alma 34:34 communicates a similar idea: "that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."

All of these scriptures describe the fact that our state of being (our character, our nature, or who we are) is not changed by death. Whatever we are when we leave here is what we will be there. What influences and processes govern what we become and how we develop (in either direction) would be a lengthy subject on its own, but for present purposes the important point is that activities that shape who we are, are eternally important.

This is sobering as we realize that everything we do, think, and say shapes who we are and what we are becoming.

3. Family Relationships

D&C 132:19 - "And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood;…. it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world;"

Our marriages and family ties have the potential to be eternal. This is a conditional promise, and requires a lot of effort and work to obtain it. To say that our families are a good investment of our time and energy would be a gross understatement.

4. Talents and skills

Alright... confession time. I could find no scriptures that said specifically that talents or skills were eternal. Those words aren't usually used in the scriptures in those contexts, however I think we can take Elder Maxwell's statement pretty safely. Here, perhaps more than any of the others, the principle outlined by Elder Bednar about the hierarchy of importance holds especially true. There are many talents and skills that we simply do not need, however we are taught that we should identify our talents and abilities and work to improve them and use them to build up the Lord's kingdom.

Understanding what really lasts, and what will have eternal value for me really helps put into perspective how my time should be used. Every activity and thing can be evaluated according to whether or not it has any eternal effects or benefits. This can help us to spend our money on things of great worth, to labor for that which will satisfy, and truly allow us to feast upon that which perisheth not.