I've written before that most adult members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have already covenanted to live the law of consecration. Not at some future date when they are asked, but now, since they've already been asked.
Here's an interesting short story by Orson Scott Card regarding the law of consecration. I was particularly intrigued by the standard for judging surplus: that which you would have spent on vanity.
When we moved to Ohio, we gave away our old TV with the intention of buying a new one after the move. (Had you ever lifted the old TV, you would understand why we were doing this.) We weren't quite sure at first, but when we saw we could get a slightly-smaller TV for under $200, and remembered that our parents gave us money for a new TV when I graduated in 2009 (that we spent on groceries at the time), we agreed.
Our initial shopping led us to decide on a particular model for $180. Then the well-intentioned advice of those around us resulted in our spending about $100 more than that. Most people would probably tell us we're fine; we spent under $300 when lots of people around us are spending more than $1,000. (Comparing to others around us is a sure-fire way to misjudge our surplus. So is listening to their advice, even when they are basically good people.) That last $100 certainly seems to me like it must have been my surplus property.
Remember that the Lord will come to Zion. He won't bring it; it will be here to greet Him. We are supposed to build it. And we don't build it by spending an extra $100 on a TV we don't really need, anyway.
via oneofthebest
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