10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
I’ve been studying and pondering this Tree of Life and its meaning for several days now, and I don’t think I yet comprehend all the implications of it. So I’m glad this will not be the last chance to write about this tree and its fruit.
The Tree of Life is a symbol of God’s love, and interestingly is found in several ancient civilizations. The fruit of that love makes us happy and fulfilled. As I think about people who clearly have come to this tree or partaken of its fruit, the personal traits they possess are things like self-confidence, peace, and an understanding of who they are. It’s interesting to note that while the tree is offered and available to all men, only those who make the effort to come to it get to partake of its beauty and fruit. I had a religion teacher at BYU, Joseph R. McConkie, who taught us that God’s love is conditional, contrary to what the world, and often the members of this Church teach. It’s conditional on us making that effort to come and partake of it. Yes, it is offered to all unconditionally, but only those who come to Him actually receive the benefits of His love. If you consider love and hate as verbs instead of feelings, this is more easily understood. The Lord loves and supports His people more than His enemies. In that sense the love of God is conditional on us becoming His people. The way we signify that is through taking on us the saving ordinances, such as baptism. In other words, we make a covenant.
The relationship we have with God has been compared many times in the scriptures to a marriage covenant, and it’s a great metaphor. I have a covenant relationship with my wife and children that sets them apart from everyone else in the world. That doesn’t mean I don’t love other women and children, but I certainly don’t have the kind of relationship with them that I do with my own wife and children. The covenant makes all the difference. And just like that, the Lord loves all of us, but I believe He holds a special place in his heart, or has a special kind of love and relationship with those who are willing to make a covenant with him. In this case, that covenant is symbolized by taking the fruit of the Tree of Life.
- Revelation 22:1–6
- 2 Nephi 2:15,25
No comments:
Post a Comment