WHAT MATTERS MOST NOW!

 

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great...fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and infact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be,
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.

The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife,"I always turned to you for help and you've always helped meout. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"

MORAL LESSON:
"Every man and woman has four wives or husbands. What do these wives signify?"

*THE FOURTH WIFE
The 4th 'wife' is our body. We love our body day and night. In the morning, we wash our face, put on clothing and shoes. We give food to our body. We take care of our body like the fourth wife in this story. But unfortunately, at the end of our life, the body, the first 'wife' cannot follow us to the next world. As it is stated in a commentary, 'When the last breath leaves our body,the healthy color of the face is transformed, and we lose the appearance of radiant life. Our loved ones may gather around and lament, but to no avail. When such an event occurs, the body is sent into an open field and cremated, leaving only the white ashes.'This is the destination of our body.
*THE THiRD WiFE
Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
*THE SECOND WiFE
The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
*THE FiRST WiFE
The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.

REMEMBER:
God can never leave you matter how much you neglet him.
If you are ready to love God and Accept him, press 'LIKE' and write,"I LOVE U GOD' if u mean it.

''The Influence, Possibility, and Power of Words"

Words have power to trigger emotions, stimulate thoughts, and stir us to action. They can elicit joy, soothe a troubled mind, bring relief to the suffering and engender gratitude.

Words can have a devastating effect. Words said to or about someone can ruin a reputation, crush hopes, inflict pain or bring tears of despair.

Elder Jeffry R. Holland quoted in a recent General Conference, “The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh: but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones”.

Words, written or spoken, can linger with us for years, bringing back thoughts or feelings to cheer or discourage, to remind or to counsel.

In a sobering statement about our use of words with regards to other people, the Lord taught in the Sermon on the Mount and reiterated to the Nephites: “And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council and whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22 & 3 Nephi 12:22).

The Savior underscored the care we should take in choosing our words when he warned, “I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). As the Savior explained: “…those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart…” (Matthew 15:18).

We all have page after page of idle, and not so idle, words perhaps spoken thoughtlessly or carelessly that we would like erased before that day of judgment.

Elder Jeffry R. Holland taught:

“It is with this realization of the power and sanctity of words that I wish to caution us, if caution is needed, regarding how we speak to each other and how we speak of ourselves.”

“Paul put it candidly, but very hopefully. He said to all of us: ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but [only] that which is good … [and] edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.’

“Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity…With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail.

“Like all gifts ‘which cometh from above’ words are ‘sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit’” (“The Tongue of Angels,” Ensign, May 2007).

If we compare the words we give to others and the words we receive from them to gifts we soon realize that they come in a variety of wrappings. Some words are wrapped in love or encouragement; some are wrapped in ridicule, some in impatience or anger.

Words wrapped in love can be unwrapped with hope and joy. Those wrapped in anger, impatience or ridicule, when opened, can inflict pain, humiliation, or spark a desire for retaliation. We would be wise to pause from time to time and weigh our words carefully, reflecting on the impact they may have on others. What is their effect when unwrapped in the mind and in the heart? Do they edify or build spiritually? Or do they tear down and destroy? Do they hurt? Or heal?



Besides the words we say or write there are other words we should consider for a moment; these are the words that should have been spoken or written; words we thought of saying, planned to say, perhaps were even prompted or inspired to say but that remained stillborn.

Elder Bruce R McConkie Last Talk.

"I feel, and the Spirit seems to accord, that the most important doctrine I can declare, and the most powerful testimony I can bear is one of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His atonement is the most transcendent event that ever has or ever will occur, from creation's dawn and through all the ages of a never ending eternity. It was the supreme act of goodness and grace that only a God could perform. Through it all the terms and conditions of the Father's Plan became operative. Through it was brought to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Through it all men are saved from death, hell, the devil, and endless torment. Through it all men who believe and obey the glorious gospel of God, those who are true and faithful and overcome the world, all who suffer for Christ and his word, all who are chastened and scourged in the cause in whom we are, all shall become as their maker and sit with him on his throne and reign with him forever in everlasting glory.
In speaking of these wondrous things I will use my own words. Though you might think these are the words of scripture, words spoken by other Apostles and Prophets, true it is that they were first proclaimed by others, but they are now mine. For the Holy Spirit of God has born witness to me that they are true and it is now as though the Lord has revealed them to me in the first instance. I have thereby heard his voice and know his word.
Two thousand years ago, outside of Jerusalem's walls, there was a pleasant Garden spot, Gethsemane by name, where Jesus and his intimate friends were want to retire for pondering and prayer. There Jesus taught his disciples the doctrines of the Kingdom and all of them communed with him who is the Father of us all in who's ministry they were engaged and on who's errand they served. This sacred spot like Eden where Adam dwelt, like Sinai where Jehovah gave his law, like Calgary where the Son of God gave his life as a ransom for many, this holy ground is where the sinless Son of the Everlasting Father to upon himself the sins of all men on conditions of repentance.
We do not know we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane. We know he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his father had given him. We know he suffered both body and spirit more than it is possible for man to suffer except it be unto death. We know that in some way incomprehensible to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice. Ransoms penitent souls from the pains and penalties of sin and made mercy available to those who believe on his holy name. We know that he lay prostrate upon the ground as the pains and agony of an infinite burden caused him to tremble and would that he might not drink of the bitter cup. We know that an angel came from the courts of Glory to strengthen him in his ordeal. And we suppose that it was mighty Michael who foremost fell that man might be. As near as we can judge, these infinite agonies, the suffering beyond compare continued for some three or four hours.
After this, his body then wrenched and drained of strength, he confronted Judas and the other incarnate devils, some from the very Sanhedran itself and he was lead away with a rope around his neck as a common criminal to be judged by the arch criminals who as Jews sat in Aaron's seat and who as Romans wielded Caesar's's power. They took him to Annas, to Caiaphas, to Pilot, to Herod, and back to Pilot. He was accused cursed and smitten. Their foul saliva ran down his face as vicious blows further weakened his pain engulfed body. With reeds of wrath they laid blows upon his back. Blood ran down his face as a crown of thorns pierced his trembling brow. But above it all he was scourged, scourged with forty strips save one. Scourged with a multi-thonged whip in to whose leather strands sharp bones and cutting metals were woven. Many die from the scourging alone, but he arose from the sufferings of the scourge that he might die an ignominious death upon the cross, the cruel cross of Calvary.
Then he carried his own cross until he collapsed from the weight and pain and mounting agony of it all. Finally on hill called Calvary, again it was outside Jerusalem's walls, while helpless disciples looked on and felt the agonies of near death in their own bodies, the Roman Soldiers laid him upon the cross. With great malice they drove spikes of iron through his feet and hands and wrists. Truly he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Then the cross was raised that all might see and gape and curse and deride. This they did with evil venom for three ours from 9 a.m. until noon. Then heavens grew black darkness covered the land for the space of three hours as it did among the Nephites. There was a mighty storm as though the very God of nature was in agony, and truly he was for while hanging on the cross for another three hours, from noon until 3 p.m., all the infinite agonies and merciless pains of Gethsemane reoccurred. And finally when the atoning agonies had taken their toll, when the victory had been won, when the Son of God had fulfilled the will of God in all things he said "It is finished" and he voluntarily gave up the ghost. As the peace and comfort of a merciful death freed him from the pains and sorrows of mortality he entered the Paradise of God. When he had made his soul and offering for sin he was prepared to see his seed according the Messianic word. These consisting of all the Holy Prophets and Faithful Saints from ages past, these comprising of all those who took upon them his name and who being spiritually begotten by him had become his sons and daughters even as it is with us. All these were assembled in the Spirit World there to see his face and hear his voice.
After some 38 or 40 hours, three days as the Jews measure time, our blessed Lord came to the Arimathaeans tomb where his partially embalmed body had been placed by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea. Then in a way incomprehensible to us he took up that body which had not yet seen corruption, and rose in that glorious immortality which made him like his resurrected Father. He then received all power in Heaven and on Earth, obtained Eternal Exaltation, appeared to Mary Magdalene and many others and ascended into Heaven. There to sit down on the right hand of God the Father almighty there to reign forever in eternal glory.
His rising from death on the third day Crowned the Atonement. Again in some way incomprehensible to us the affects of his Resurrection pass upon all men so that all shall rise from the grave. As Adam brought death so Christ brought life. As Adam is the father of mortality so Christ is the father of immortality. And without both, mortality and immortality, man cannot work out his salvation and ascend to those heights beyond the skies where God and angels reign forever in Eternal Glory.
Now the Atonement of Christ is the basic fundamental of the Gospel and it is the least understood of all our revealed truths. Many of us have a superficial knowledge and rely upon the Lord and his goodness to see through the trials and perils of life. But if we are to have faith as Enoch and Elijah, we must believe what they believed and know what they knew and live as they lived.
May I invite you to join with me in gaining a sound and sure knowledge of the Atonement. We must cast aside the philosophies of men and the wisdom of the wise and hearken to that Spirit which is given to us to guide us into all truth. We must search the scriptures accepting them as the mind and will and voice of the Lord and the very power of God unto salvation. As we read ponder and pray there will come to our minds a view of the three gardens of God. The Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden of the empty Tomb where Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. In Eden we will seen all things created in a paradisiacal state without death without procreation without probationary experiences. We will come to know that such a creation now unknown to man was the only way to provide for the fall. We will then see Adam and Eve the first man the woman step down from their immortal and paradisiacal glory to become the first mortal flesh on earth. Mortality including as it does procreation and death enter the world. And because of transgression a probationary state of trial and testing will begin. Then in Gethsemane we will see the Son of God ransom man from the temporal and spiritual death which came to us because of the fall. And finally before an empty tomb we will come to know that Christ our Lord has burst the bands of death and stands forever triumphant over the grave.
Thus, creation is father to the fall and by the fall came mortality and death. And by Christ came immortality and eternal life. If there had been no fall of Adam by which cometh death, there could have been no Atonement by which cometh life.
And now as pertaining to this perfect Atonement, I testify that it took place at Gethsemane and at Golgotha. And as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God who was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person. I am one of his Witnesses. And in the coming day I will feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God's almighty Son and he is our Savior and Redeemer and that Salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.
God grant that all of us will walk in the light, as God our Father is in the light so that according to his promises the blood of Jesus Christ his son will cleanse us from all sin. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Amen."
General Conference, April 1985
(Elder Bruce R. McConkie died thirteen days after giving this testimony.)

The "I Believe in Christ Legacy" by Jane P. Merrill

(Sister Merrill attends the same ward as Amelia McConkie, the widow of Elder Bruce R. McConkie who passed away in 1985.]

Recently in our Fast and Testimony meeting, we had the opportunity to hear Sister Amelia McConkie bear her testimony. As she began to speak, I felt strongly impressed to take notes, recognizing that it was a rare opportunity to hear a first hand account of Elder Bruce R. McConkie's last few weeks. After church I wrote up the account and then took it to Sister McConkie to make sure it was correct, and to get her approval.

Sister McConkie's story:

"In Relief Society today our closing song was 'I Believe in Christ.' Then, as we began our Fast and Testimony meeting, our opening song was 'I Believe in Christ.' This co-incidence made me think that perhaps it's time I share with you how we got this hymn.
"Some 15 years ago, my husband Bruce R. McConkie was very ill. The doctor told us he had two months to live, at the most. However, Bruce felt he still had some things he wanted to do. The Brethren gave him a blessing and his family gathered to share their faith and prayers. He lived an additional fourteen months, although he was very ill much of that time. He never thought he wasn't going to get better. He told me time and time again that this was the Lord's test for him, and that he had enough faith in and of himself to be healed.
"Early in February, on an overcast day much like today, I decided to make a pie to cheer him up, as he loved pie. While I was doing this he lay on the floor in our bedroom, which he often did. He had a pencil and paper in hand and was writing. Then he came into the kitchen where I was working and said, 'Do you want to hear what I'm going to talk about in Conference?'
"The pie was almost finished and I wanted to get it in the oven, but I soon realized that you don't make pies while he's talking like this. So I stopped and sat down to listen. He read to me his talk, and I said, 'It's the most beautiful thing you've ever written, but how will you ever do it?' He was so ill and so weak. 'I don't know,' he answered, 'but I will.'
"His doctor was so worried. 'You've got a dying man on your hands; you must not let him speak at conference. If he tries, he will collapse on nationwide television.' But I couldn't try to stop him. He was determined to do it and nothing could have stopped him. Our son said, 'I don't think there's anything Dad wanted to do more than preach that last sermon at Conference.' So our children fasted together, asking that their father would have the physical and emotional strength to fulfill his wish.
"During the Saturday morning session of April 1985 General Conference, a thin Bruce R. McConkie took his place at the pulpit and despite his weakened condition, he bore majestic testimony to the truths so integral to his life and mission. He testified, 'I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God's Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.' (Excerpted from his Conference address)
"The following Sunday Elder Packer visited him at home and gave him a blessing in which he told Bruce he should 'quit resisting the will of the Lord.' We both knew what he meant. At the conclusion, with tears running down his face, Bruce looked at me as I stood at the foot of the bed, and said, 'Amelia, do you know what he just did?' 'Yes,' I answered, 'he has sealed you unto death.'
"That was so hard on Bruce. He wanted so much to live. But as I showed Elder Packer out, Bruce got up, folded the bedspread as he always did at night, got ready for bed, and got under the covers. Always before he would insist that I make the bed and he would lay on top of it, fully dressed. But this was his way of saying to the Lord, 'I am bowing to your will.' He passed away a short time later."
What a great blessing to have the beautiful hymn, "I Believe In Christ", taken from his testimony.

As recorded and written by Jane P. Merrill September 6, 1998

"GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE NOT A DETERMINIG CAUSE...."

Respecting the foreknowledge of God, let it not be said that divine omniscience is of itself a determining cause whereby events are inevitably brought to pass.
"Our heavenly father has a full knowledge of the nature and disposition of each of his children, a knowledge gained by long observation and experience in the past eternity of our primeval childhood; a knowledge compared with which that gained by earthly parents through mortal experience with their children is infinitesimally small. by reason of that surpassing knowledge God reads the future of child and children, of men individually and of men collectively as communities and nations; he knows what each will do under given conditions, and sees the end from the beginning. His foreknowledge is based on intelligence and reason. he foresees the future as a state which naturally and surely will be; not as one which must be because he has arbitrarily willed that it shall be" ( Great Apostasy, pp. 19,20)

 There are many who profess belief that as God is omnipotent, all that is is according to his will. such a supposition is unscriptural, unreasonable, and untrue.

  Let not ignorance and thoughtlessness lead us into the error of assuming that the Father's foreknowledge as to what would be, under given conditions, determined that such must be. it was not his design that the souls of mankind be lost; on the contrary it was and is his work and glory, " to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

"our lord's admonition to men to become perfect, even as the father is perfect ( Matthew 5: 48) cannot rationally be construed otherwise than is implying the possibility of such achievement. plainly, however, man cannot become perfect in mortality in the sense in which God is perfect as a supremely glorified being. it is possible, though, for man to be perfect in his sphere in a sense analogous to that in which superior intelligences are perfect in their several spheres; yet the relative perfection of the lower is infinitely inferior to that of the higher. A college student in his freshman or sophomore year maybe perfect as freshman or sophomore; his record may possibly be hundred percent on the scale of efficiency and achievement; yet the honors of the upper  classman are beyond him, and the attainment of graduation is to him remote, but of assured possibility, if he do but continue faithful and devoted to the end." ( Jesus the Christ )

Afflictions.

Those who follow Jesus Christ will be tried and must prove themselves faithful to God.

“there is no safety, only in the arm of Jehovah. None else can deliver, and he will not deliver  unless we do prove ourselves faithful to him in the severest trouble. For he that will have his robes washed in the blood of the lamb must come up through great tribulation ( Revelation 7:13-14), even the greatest of all afflictions.

“the destinies of all people are in the hands of a just God, and He will do no injustice to anyone; and this one thing is sure, that they who will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12)

“men have to suffer that they may come upon mount Zion and be exalted above the heavens.” While suffering greatly during his imprisonment in liberty jail during the winter of 1838-39, Joseph Smith wrote to member of the church:

     “beloved brethren, we say unto you, that inasmuch as God hath said that he  would have a tried people, that he would purge them as gold ( Malachi 3:3), now we think that this time he has chosen his own crucible, wherein we have been tried; and we think if we get through with any degree of safety, and shall have kept the faith, that it will be a sign to this generation altogether sufficient to leave them without excuse; and we think also it will a trial of our faith equal to that of Abraham, and that the ancients will not have where of to boast over us in the day of judgment, as being called to pass through heavier afflictions; that we may hold an even weight in the balance with them.”

“trials will only give us the knowledge necessary to understand the winds of the ancients. All things shall work together for good to them that love God ( Roman 8:28)

John Taylor, the third president of the church, said: “I heard the prophet Joseph say, in speaking to the twelve on one occasion: ‘you will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot  stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the celestial kingdom of God.’ Joseph Smith never had many months of peace after he receive the truth and finally he was murdered in Carthage jail.

“let us not sorrow as ‘those without hope’ (1 Thessalonian 4:13)

I have learn not to plan every events in my life but stand ready to accept the lord’s view.

FACES AND AN ARTICLE.

Cocoa

Pres and Sis Judd

my cousin and i

RMS from Ghnan Accra mission.

RMS from Ghana Accra mission

Aba Nigeria Temple

my younger brother(Elder Ekpenyong) and his companion(Elder Aduboateng)standing next to me

 

ZENOS’S ALLEGORY OF THE OLIVE TREES.

(Jacob 5)

There are many ways to examine Zenos allegory. By the identification of a few consistent symbols most verses can be rendered in a form that makes interpretation a simple matter. For example:

Tame olive tree = House of Israel

Lord of the Vineyard = Savior

Servant = prophets, missionaries

Root = Covenant people or blood of Israel

Wild olive tree = Gentiles

Decay (bad fruit, bitter fruit) = breaking covenants

Good fruit = keeping covenants

Grafting = Gospel opportunities

Vineyard = World

Plucking (burning) = judgement (justice)

Pruning (digging) = mercy, patience, long-suffering

Dunging = Nourishing

Branches = groups of people

Practice interpreting the following verses using the explanations above:

And he said unto the servant: Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others. (5:25)

And now, behold, notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit; and these I had hoped to preserve, to have laid up fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self. But, behold, they have become like unto the wild olive tree, and they are of no worth but to be hewn down and cast into the fire; and it grieveth me that I should lose them. (5:46)

Wherefore, let us take of the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from whence they came; and let us pluck from the tree those branches whose fruit is most bitter, and graft in the natural branches of the tree in the stead thereof. (5:52)

It may even be possible, though perhaps not necessary, to assign specific verses to particular historical events. The long time that passes away in verse 15 is probably the inter-testamental period from 400 BC to the birth of the Savior. Verse 46 may be an allusion to the great apostasy. Verse 25 seems to refer to the Nephites and Lamanites in the land of promise.

However, in my studying of this chapter, I have finally determined to study it in the frame of mind in which Jacob wrote it. That it, I have focused on the willingness of the master to help us when we make mistakes. 

The Jews, in their stiff-neckedness and their hard-heartedness and their rejection of the Savior, made terrible mistakes. Jacob engraved this allegory on the plates (a herculean task!) in order to show us what the master of the vineyard did for them, and will do for us when we make mistakes. Try reading Jacob 5 with just this question in mind: What can I learn here about what the Savior will do for those he loves when they stray from the strait and narrow path?

The following list is my list – a collection of insights into the Love of the Savior – a list not quite like any other list from any other place in the scriptures.

• PRUNE – This word and the next two (dig, nourish) appear often together in this narrative. But the idea of pruning suggests a more drastic intervention that loosening the soil and applying fertilizer. Hebrews tells us that even the Savior learned . . . obedience by the things which he suffered. (Heb. 5:8) Job was pruned. Paul had his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7). These afflictions speak to me more of pruning than of digging or nourishing.

• DIG – Alma speaks of being harrowed up by his sins. That would be digging in its most dramatic form. But in a milder form, this word makes me think of the loosening of soil around a plant to increase its ability to receive nutrients. Thus, as God digs about us, he may be trying to loosen the hardness of the soil of our hearts and the stiffness of our necks, to make us more responsive to the whisperings of the Spirit and the words of the Prophets

 

• NOURISH – Some form of this word shows up 20 times in Jacob 5. Moroni 6:4 speaks of our need to be nourished by the good word of God . . . We may be nourished in our spiritual weakness by the scriptures or the prophets or the words of loving friends and leaders and family members.

• GRAFT – In its literal use in this allegory, the word graft refers to the transplanting of groups of people to increase the chance that they will respond to the opportunities and blessings of the gospel. But in a more general sense, the action of grafting refers to the efforts of the Lord to change the environment of groups, families, or individuals to increase the likelihood of their responding to the blessings and opportunities of the gospel.

• GRIEVE – The grief of the Savior over the prospect of losing the trees and fruit of his vineyard is a constant theme in this allegory of Zenos. In eight different places Zenos speaks of the grief of the master over the lack of good fruit in the vineyard. Reading these verses again has reminded me of the experience of Enoch in Moses 7:28And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? I think the Savior grieves, not because our sins have caused him to suffer, but because they will cause us to suffer.

• PRESERVE – Eleven times the Lord speaks of trying to preserve the trees and the fruit of the vineyard. In the face of decay and in the absence of acceptable fruit, and at a time when less devoted husbandmen might have turned the vineyard into firewood and started over, the Savior tries to preserve his people in righteousness. The pruning, digging, nourishing, and grafting, along with many of his actions in the following paragraphs are examples of his efforts to preserve his people until the time of the harvest.

• LABOR – Over and over again the Savior goes down to labor in the vineyard. He is not like the householder, which planted a vineyard . . . and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country (Matt. 21:33). He himself labors in the vineyard. In fact, we are told that at the time of his final visit, when laborers are sent in the vineyard for the last time, “that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them” (emphasis added)

• WENT DOWN; WENT FORTH; WATCHED; BEHELD – A number of phrases in Jacob 5 remind us that the Master of the Vineyard is watching us closely. He is keenly aware of all we say, think, and do: BEHOLD and hearken, O ye elders of my church . . . whose prayers I have heard, and whose hearts I know, and whose desires have come up before me. Behold and lo, mine eyes are upon you, and the heavens and the earth are in mine hands, and the riches of eternity are mine to give (D&C 67:1,2). His purpose, I suppose, is be ready to render assistance at the first sign of wandering.

• SELECT LOCATIONS – After the Lord had hid[den] the natural branches of the tame tree in various places in the vineyard (Jacob 5:14), his servant asked, How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit (5:21,22). The Lord selects the locations for his people that will maximize the potential for good fruit. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said of this matter, Our Eternal Father knows all of his spirit children, and in his infinite wisdom, he chooses the very time that each comes to earth to gain a mortal body and undergo a probationary experience. Everything the Lord does is for the benefit and blessing of his children. And each of those children is subjected to the very trials and experiences that Omniscient Wisdom knows he should have (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, p.660).

We must not miss this important truth. We can produce much fruit regardless of where they Lord puts us. If we are willing, he will nourish us and bless us and make us fruitful.

• DUNG – This word, as mentioned above, might be included with nourishing and digging, but using it separately gives me the chance to include (again) this favorite quote about dunging: 

On my way to visit the James's the other evening, I saw a wheat field that appeared to be greener and taller than the others. Thinking about it for awhile, I concluded that occasionally some loving farmer drives over the field with his tractor and pumps manure all over it. I thought, My, its just like life. Here we are minding our own business, growing our little hearts out. Were really quite green somewhat productive and very sincere. When out of the blue, life deals us a dirty one, and were up to our eyebrows in manure. We, of course, conclude that life as we have known it has just ended and will never be the same again. But one day, when the smell and the shock are gone, we find ourselves greener and more productive than we have been. Unfortunately, no matter how often we go through these growing experiences, we are never able to appreciate the sound of the tractor of the smell of the manure. [Harold W. Wood] 

• NOTWITHSTANDING ALL THE CARE WHICH WE HAVE TAKEN (5:46) WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE MORE? (5:41,47,49); HAVE I SLACKENED MY HAND? (5:47); I HAVE STRETCHED FORTH MINE HAND (5:47; 6:4) – These four phrases speak of the continuous concern for the Savior for the welfare of his children in the vineyard. His only concern is the welfare of his people, and that his suffering and his teaching and his example should be meaningful in helping them to have a fullness of joy: He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world . . . (2 Nephi 26:24).

• SPARE IT A LITTLE LONGER – At a time when all the trees of the vineyard were corrupted and brought forth no good fruit (5:46) both the servant and the master agreed to spare the vineyard a little longer (5:50,51). It was ripe for burning. It deserved burning. This willingness to wait for judgement in hopes of repentance is in other scriptural locations called patience or longsuffering. It was this willingness that Ammon spoke of when he said, Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state? (Alma 26:17)

• REJOICE EXCEEDINGLY – This is the response of the Savior when he anticipates success in preserving both roots and branches of the tame tree (5:60). We are promised that our joy will be great if we bring souls, but we are reminded that he has great joy too: And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! (D&C 18:13)

 

• LABOR DILIGENTLY WITH OUR MIGHT At the beginning of the allegory, we saw the Master and his servants laboring, but as the end draws near, the nature of the labor seems to change (5:61,62,71). The language is similar to the instructions given in D&C 4: 2: Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. The salvation of a soul worth any righteous effort.

• RECOVER – In Jacob 6, Jacob gives a brief review of the significance of the allegory. In verse 2 he repeats a promise often given in the scriptures that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people. He will do the same for all of his children, if they are willing to be recovered. Thus he promises in Mosiah 26:30 to forgive as often and repentance occurs. In Luke 5:4-6, he gives instruction to Peter and others, in spite of a night without success, to let down the nets again. 

• REMEMBERETH – He remembers the House of Israel (6:4). For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. (1 Nephi 21:15)

• HE CLEAVETH UNTO YOU – We are invited by Jacob to have as much affection for the Lord as he has for us (6:5). He will not abandon us for some minor infraction of the rules. Pres. J Reuben Clark said, I believe that his juridical concept of his dealings with his children could be expressed in this way: I believe that in his justice and mercy he will give us the maximum reward for our acts, give us all that he can give, and in the reverse, I believe that he will impose upon us the minimum penalty which it is possible for him to impose. (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, October 1953, p.84)

• HIS ARM OF MERCY IS EXTENDED – This is a wonderful conclusion to our analysis of this allegory. The words and phrases above offer powerful evidence of his mercy. In the same way that he invited the woman taken in adultery (see John 8:1-11) to repent and return, he has invited us to find security in the everlasting arms of his mercy.

 JACOB EXHORTS HIS LISTENERS TO REPENT AND FOLLOW CHRIST (Jacob 6)

The purpose of the allegory, once again is to tell us how it is possible to make mistakes even huge mistakes – and still receive the blessings of the atonement. In chapter 6, Jacob makes this point eloquently:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts. Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die? For behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire? Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you? (Jacob 6:5-8)

And finally, this note:

O be wise; what can I say more? (Jacob 6:12)

It seems fairly clear from the ending verses of Jacob 6 that Jacob thought he was finished with his work on the plates. 

Finally, I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen. (Jacob 6:13)

ZENOS’S ALLEGORY OF THE OLIVE TREES.

THE MIRACLE OF LAUGHTER

THE MIRACLE OF LAUGHTER.

First and foremost,to present a convincing argument,may I ask,’why do some individuals laughs more whereas some laughs less or don’t laugh at all ?’, irrespective of the answers, it doesn’t mean we go around laughing all the time because that would be considered insane, but we certainly could all laugh more than we do.

I have learned that the ability to laugh at everyday life challenges, family difficulties helps keep life in perspective. If we will learn to laugh and play more with our families, not only will we feel better but so will they. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” says proverbs 17:22. Studies show that humor and laughter help people live longer, happier lives. Humour reduces stress,fear,intimidation,embarrassment, and anger. When a person laughs,blood pressure decreases, heart rate and respiration increase,the body releases endorphins, and depression declines. After the laughter subsides and you relax again,that good feeling has a lasting effect, even until the next day. Not many medicines will do that.

I was amazed on the fact that, on average, children laugh 400 times a day, while adults laugh about 15 times. Why the gap? Did we lose something? Have we forgotten the way we used to be? Why is it that children seems to cope with life’s oddities better than adults? Perhaps it’s because they do not fully understand. But I think it’s simpler than that – they laugh. As we grow older, we get far too serious. Watch children play. It’s an attitude, not an event. Perhaps the key lies in becoming more childlike.

Laughter and play are closely related. Play puts everyone on an equal footing, first by the nature of play itself, and second you can change the rules to fit the situation. Play brings families together. It is a subtle tool for interaction and talk. It builds confidence because you can modify the rules to bring about success or any outcome you desire. Through play we develop relationships naturally. Our real personalities emerge. We tend to like people we have fun with. Play allows us to use our minds and break out of familiar molds. It allows us to explore more.

I think laughter is more important than a family vacation because it’s always available and it’s free. Vacation are not.( share your views). Laughter  is like getting away without going away. Laughter improves communication and builds relationships because everyone laughs in the same language. Laughter makes us approachable. It removes barriers. When using humour, however, we must be careful not to offend,intimidate,or embarrass. We should laugh together rather than at someone. No one likes to be teased. No one likes to be the brunt of a joke. By learning to laugh at ourselves, we usually become safe from offending.

We should also be careful not to use humor in settings where it could be disruptive to the spirit or where it would make light of sacred things. The trick is finding humour in the event now.