07/25/2024
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a get rich quick scheme! Endurance is a very important nutrient applied to our seeds/trees. With that patience will come fruit but it will be after a lot of time, effort, pruning, and waiting!
I was so excited when I realized that the tree Alma talks about and the tree of life Lehi talks about are one and the same.
When we plant the word of God and water it and nurture it and care for it, it grows into a tree that produces fruit so sweet and delicious it's beyond our comprehension. That fruit is the love of God manifested through the atonement of Jesus Christ and the joy, peace, rest, and strength that come from His grace.
As our testimony grows and matures we come to understand that greatest of God's gifts and we are able to partake of it fully.
Alma teaches us that the first thing we need to do is plant the word of God in our hearts. We do that by studying the scriptures and conference talks, seeking understanding for individual principles and teachings.
We nurture the seed by pondering on those concepts, studying them more intently, praying about things we don't understand, and acting in faith as we experiment on the principles and promises.
And as we are doing this we must create a place of silence where we can feel and hear the Spirit manifest truth to us. We will feel the seed growing and feel the truth of what we have planted. Seeking the Spirit and making a time and space to feel it's answers are vital to receiving a testimony.
Once our tree begins to grow it is so important to continue to nourish it through study, prayer, and intentional connection with God, because if we neglect it, it will eventually wither and die.
The health of our tree depends entirely on the time and attention we are willing to give it.