"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.
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.
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.
And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life."
Alma 32:37-40
This whole chapter is amazing, but what struck me today was the idea of nourishment. I think there are a lot of things in our lives that we want to do in varying degrees, but we only make time for and work diligently for a few of them... thus choosing what is important to us. Here, God is using an analogy to talk to us about testimony and the gospel, and eternal life, and reminding us that these are things that are worth working for.
Today, let's be sure to nourish our testimonies, and build up the kingdom of God. As we work for God, our rewards will be much greater than if we only work for ourselves, and seeking God and his gospel will not only change our hearts, but fill them up so that we won't feel our lives to be empty or meaningless... which, especially when we've lost our way, is a big blessing that helps us find our reason for being and for working at something each day. Let's nourish the seed of the gospel in our lives, look to God for help with whatever we need, and look forward to the fruit of the tree of life.
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