The Tree of Life

Last week I wrote about the parable of the seed and how our lives are compared to a seed that is planted in the ground. The seed represents the Gospel of Jesus Christ and depending on the type of soil it is planted in determines if the seed will grow or not. If we provide good soil and nourish the seed it will grow within us and a testimony of the Gospel will develop until it is fully grown and produces the fruit that shows in the way we live our lives.

Lehi, the Book of Mormon Prophet, had a vision of the Tree of Life. He said he was walking through a dark and dreary waste. After many hours he prayed for deliverance and then found himself in a large and spacious field. He said:

10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.

 11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.

 12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit. (1 Nephi 8:10-12)

Lehi tells his family of his dream and his son Nephi desires to know the meaning of the dream. He goes to the Lord and asks to know the meaning of what his father saw and he was given the same vision. He is also shown a vision of the birth of Jesus Christ and his ministry in the meridian of time. An angel explains the meaning of his vision:

18 And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.

 19 And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for  the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!

 20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

 21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

 22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. (1 Nephi 11:18-22)

Through these scriptures we learn that the Tree of Life represents the love of God. What is the love of God? It is His Son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most desirable above all things. It brings us the greatest joy as well as salvation in the Kingdom of God. The gospel seed that is planted in good soil and is nourished and allowed to develop will eventually become the tree of life and the fruit is our lives as we live the gospel and is the outward sign of our Christ centered lives.

A group of young men and women from Salem, Oregon participated in a memorable youth conference that taught them the importance of staying on the path that leads to the tree of life. The youth were taken on a 45-minute walk at night that simulated Lehi’s journey to the tree of life. It was on a dark and rainy night and the path was muddy and there were stones and logs that blocked their way. There were also other youth and leaders that were along the path trying to convince them that they should leave the path and take a short cut to the tree of life. After it was over some of the youth made these comments:

“‘Shaunelle Lakey, 17, testified: “The fact that it was so muddy and rainy that night relates a lot to life, because lots of times we have so many trials, especially as teenagers. Near the end, when we came to the tree of life, it was so beautiful. Coming to the tree that night was a relief for a lot of people. That’s how I think it’s going to be when we go back to our Heavenly Father, so that’s what we have to look forward to.”

“They learned to help one another make it to the end. Kayla Merriman, 17, said: “You need to always keep trying. The person above me on the hill reached out his hand and said, ‘Here, I’ll help you.’ When we made it to the end, everyone was so happy, even though we were wet and muddy and cold. You just have to endure!”

“We need our own testimonies,” said Haley Prychun, 17. “We can’t always rely on our parents. I’m so glad to be surrounded by strong youth.”

“Isaac Bergevin, 18, related his experience to the conference theme: “The holiest place was at the hill, because it was there that people worried about each other. That brought us together.”

“One of the most memorable lessons was learned by those who left the path. They felt disappointed as they had to wait in “spirit prison” and watch their brothers and sisters walk by them on the path.

“Jackie Haws, 18, said: “Because I was on the youth committee, one of my jobs was to try to lead others astray. Because of this, I ended up going to ‘spirit prison’ and being separated from the others. I felt such shame in prison. But I’m so grateful for repentance. I need it every day.” (In Search of the Tree of Life”, New Era, January 2004)

These youth learned that it is not easy to stay on the path that leads to the tree of life. But if we ignore those around us that try to lead us from that path and if we continue to cling to the rod of iron (which represents the word of God) and follow the prophet we will one day make it to the tree of life and partake of the fruit that is most desirable above all other fruit.

As the seed that we planted is nourished and grows in our lives, the fruit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ really does become most desirable. We desire to associate with others that have the same goals that we have. We keep the commands of God because doing so is the only way to have true happiness and freedom. We serve others because that is what Christ did and we want to follow his example. This is the type of life that Nephi described when he said that they “lived after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27). This is the life of anyone who is a disciple of Jesus Christ wants to live. This is the life that I desire and strive for every day.

Your questions and comments are welcome.

Lovest Thou Me, More Than These?

We are all familiar with the exchange that Peter had with the resurrected Savior on the Shore were Peter had been fishing. After the Savior was crucified, Peter and several of the other disciples went fishing. They fished all night without catching anything. A man standing on the shore called to them and asked if they had caught anything. They called back that they had not so the man told them to cast their nets on the right side and they will find some. They did and their nets were so full they could not draw the nets in. They then recognized the man was Jesus Christ and Peter dove in and swam to the shore to meet him where the following exchange happened:

15 ¶So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon,son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (Johm 21:15-17)

I wrote about this before from the perspective of developing our faith (July 28, 2013 “Pathways to Faith). This time I would like to discuss it from the perspective of the sheep and the lambs and what the Savior expects us to do when he says that we should feed them.

First – who are the sheep and the lambs the Savior was referring to? Elder Ben Banks in a conference address given October 1999 spoke of the lambs and the sheep:

“Twas a sheep not a lamb that strayed away

In the parable Jesus told,

A grown-up sheep that strayed away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And why for the sheep should we seek

And earnestly hope and pray?

Because there is danger when sheep go wrong;

They lead the lambs astray.

Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,

Wherever the sheep may stray.

When sheep go wrong, it won’t take long

Til the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

For the sake of the lambs today,

For when sheep are lost, what a terrible cost

The lambs will have to pay!

In this example the sheep are mature grown individuals that have wandered and the lambs are those that are young (or young in the gospel) and follow the example of their friends or parents as they wander from gospel paths and are lost as well. The sheep and lambs do not only refer to those who have wandered or are lost. The Savior often spoke of his sheep. His sheep were his followers and the shepherds were their priesthood leaders. Christ spoke of the true shepherd’s feeling for his sheep when he said:

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:11-15)

What are we willing to do for the Lord’s sheep and lambs, not just those that are lost but also for those that are faithful? President James E. Faust spoke of the responsibility of priesthood leaders in the Lord’s church. He was speaking in the April 1995 General Conference soon after being sustained as the second counselor in the First Presidency, he said:

Tonight I would like to speak to the priesthood of God in their capacity as the Lord’s shepherds. Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated: “Anyone serving in any capacity in the Church in which he is responsible for the spiritual or temporal well-being of any of the Lord’s children is a shepherd to those sheep. The Lord holds his shepherds accountable for the safety [meaning the salvation] of his sheep.”  The bearers of the priesthood have this great responsibility, whether it is father, grandfather, home teacher, elders quorum president, bishop, stake president, or other Church calling. (“Responsibility of Shepherds”, James E. Faust, General Conference, April 1995).

He was speaking in the priesthood session of conference when he said that it was their priesthood duty. He could have included the mothers, grandmothers, visiting teachers, Relief Society Presidents, Young Women Presidents and Primary Presidents as well because no matter who we are, we have a responsibility to care for others. The Lord made that clear when he taught of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke of the importance of shepherding the Lord’s flock, when he said:

“There are so many young people who wander aimlessly and walk the tragic trail of drugs, gangs, immorality, and the whole brood of ills that accompany these things. There are widows who long for friendly voices and that spirit of anxious concern which speaks of love. There are those who were once warm in the faith, but whose faith has grown cold. Many of them wish to come back but do not know quite how to do it. They need friendly hands reaching out to them. With a little effort, many of them can be brought back to feast again at the table of the Lord.

“My brethren and sisters, I would hope, I would pray, that each of us … would resolve to seek those who need help, who are in desperate and difficult circumstances, and lift them in the spirit of love into the embrace of the Church, where strong hands and loving hearts will warm them, comfort them, sustain them, and put them on the way of happy and productive lives” (“Reach with a Rescuing Hand,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 86).

Are we willing to sacrifice our time to help our family, our neighbors, co-workers or strangers that need our help? President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, gave another example of what a true shepherd is in a 1984 General Conference talk. In his parable he talked of a ward that was planning a picnic for the ward. The day came for the picnic and the weather was great, the food looked good and the tables all set beautifully. Just as they were about to begin, a noisy car came into the grounds and stopped with smoke pouring out of the engine. Several hungry dirty children piled out of the car and the mother brought a few leftovers to a nearby table. Then one of the children sees the table full of delicious food and comes over to stare at it. Elder Packer said that there were at least three possibilities that the ward members could take:

“First, you could insist the intruders keep their children quiet while we have the blessing. Thereafter we ignore them. After all, we reserved the place.

“I doubt that you would do that. Could you choke down a feast before hungry children? Surely we are better than that! That is not the answer.

“The next choice. There is that extra table. And we do have too much of some things. We could take a little of this and a little of that and lure the little children back to their own table. Then we could enjoy our feast without interruption. After all, we earned what we have. Did we not “obtain it by [our own] industry,” as the Book of Mormon says? (See Alma 4:6.)

“I hope you would not do that. There is a better answer. You already know what it is.

“We should go out to them and invite them to come and join us. You could slide that way, and I could slide this way, and the little girl could sit between us. They could all fit in somewhere to share our feast. Afterward, we will fix their car and provide something for their journey.

“Could there be more pure enjoyment than seeing how much we could get those hungry children to eat? Could there be more satisfaction than to interrupt our festivities to help our mechanic fix their car?” (“Feed My Sheep”, Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, April 1984)

Who are the Lord’s shepherds? We should not sit back and say that the shepherds are the priesthood leaders and it is their responsibility to watch over the flock. As a disciple of Jesus Christ I am one of his shepherds, we all are. We all must be willing to share the burden of shepherding the flock. As parents, neighbors and family members we must watch for those who are in need of our help. We should pray to know who we can serve today and then when we see someone at home, work, in the store wherever it may be we should ask: “Is this the person that needs my help?” and then we must be willing to use our talents, time and means to provide the help they need, even to the point of binding up their wounds, providing the care they need and paying the “in-keeper” for their care and promising to come back and reimburse them for whatever they need. If we are willing to do this and more, then we are truly the Lord’s Shepherds and can answer in the affirmative when the Lord asks us: “Lovest thou me, more than these”.

Your comments and questions are always welcome.