Step Up - Miami Heat (2012)
9 years ago
This is a place where our family will share our efforts to live and spread the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof (Alma 32:39).Relationships need to be nurtured just like faith. When seeds don't grow, it is not always because the fruit would not have been desirable. Someone's ground was barren and they were unwilling to nourish it.
Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge (Alma 32:26).Some people want to have a perfect knowledge at the beginning.
But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words (Alma 32:27).Experiment on a relationship; exercise a particle of faith; believe it is possible that a relationship can develop. It is easy to get cynical after being burned a couple of times. Believe anyway.
Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me (Alma 32:28).You can judge a relationship on these criteria:
Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge (Alma 32:29).Even with all these good things, you don't have a perfect knowledge yet.
And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit (Alma 32:37).When you nourish it with great care, a relationship will grow. What is the fertilizer? Charity, the pure love of Christ. And how do you get Charity? You pray for it - it is a gift of the Spirit. Having the Holy Ghost makes it possible (see Moroni 7:47-48).
But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out (Alma 32:38).Neglect will kill the roots. Then the heat of the sun - trials - cause you to cast it out.
But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life (Alma 32:41).Nourish the relationship with faith, diligence, and patience. Then you will have the fruit that is promised. Then you will have an eternal marriage.
It is by words … [that] every being works when he works by faith. God said, ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’ Joshua spake, and the great lights which God had created stood still. Elijah commanded, and the heavens were stayed for the space of three years and six months, so that it did not rain. … All this was done by faith. … Faith, then, works by words; and with [words] its mightiest works have been, and will be, performed.This can have direct and powerful application within any relationship.
A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it! Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that “leap of faith,” as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two. “The spirit of man,” is as the scripture says, indeed “is the candle of the Lord” (Prov. 20:27).To create that feeling of love within your own heart, you have to take the same leap of faith.
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:11-12)
I know that [God] granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction. (Alma 29:4)In other words, when it comes to the judgment, we get exactly what we want. What could be more just?
The Master’s reward in the Final Judgment will not be based on how long we have labored in the vineyard. We do not obtain our heavenly reward by punching a time clock. What is essential is that our labors in the workplace of the Lord have caused us to become something. Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov 2000, 32–34The Children’s Hymn, “I Am a Child of God,” was originally written with the words “teach me all that I must know.” Spencer W. Kimball had it changed to “teach me all that I must do.” Elder Oaks makes me think it would be better as “teach me all that I must be.”
If you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another. (TPJS 241)and
Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive our brother on the first intimations of repentance, and asking forgiveness; and should we even forgive our brother, or even our enemy, before he repent or ask forgiveness, our heavenly Father would be equally as merciful unto us. (TPJS 155)