Fruit to Make One Happy
Open talk in Gospel LibraryContents
Before Reading
Before reading or listening to the talk, consider the following questions:
- What do the tree and its fruit represent in Lehi’s vision?
- How does living a gospel truth help you experience its sweetness?
- How does knowing you are a child of Heavenly Father influence your view of yourself and others?
- How does Jesus Christ make happiness, forgiveness, and continued progress possible?
- How does the Holy Ghost help you recognize truth and receive comfort?
- Who might benefit from your efforts to love, share, and invite?
Topics
Taste Gospel Truths by Living Them
Elder Stevenson explains that the tree in Lehi’s vision represents the love of God, including the birth, life, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Its fruit represents blessings available through Christ’s Atonement, including ordinances, covenants, restored gospel truths, and eternal life. Just as tasting fruit reveals its sweetness, living gospel truths helps us experience their happiness and joy.
The tree stands for the love of God, including the greatest manifestations of that love: the birth, life, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The fruit symbolizes blessings received through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, including ordinances, covenants, and truths of the restored gospel and ultimately eternal life.
They become sweet to us as we live them, bringing us happiness and joy.
- What does the tree represent, and what does its fruit symbolize?
- Why does Elder Stevenson compare living gospel truths to tasting fruit?
- How does Jesus Christ’s Atonement connect the blessings represented by the fruit?
- Which gospel truth brings sweetness and joy into my life? What experiences help me recognize that blessing?
- What gospel teaching do I understand intellectually but need to live more fully?
- What specific action can I take this week to experience the blessings of that teaching?
Recognize Your Identity as God’s Child
Elder Stevenson teaches that being a child of a loving Heavenly Father is our most important identity. Heavenly Father knows us personally and gives us bodies, abilities, and spiritual gifts to develop and use to bless others. This knowledge strengthens us, encourages kindness toward our brothers and sisters, and offers comfort even in difficult circumstances.
Heavenly Father knows us personally. This is your most important identity.
Having this knowledge makes us stronger. This knowledge also makes us kinder to others, knowing that everyone around us is our brother or sister.
The Apostle Paul in the New Testament taught, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
- Why does Elder Stevenson describe being a child of Heavenly Father as our most important identity?
- How does understanding our relationship with Heavenly Father affect the way we treat others?
- What does the account of the young boy singing “I Am a Child of God” illustrate about the power of this truth?
- How does the Spirit help us know that we are children of God?
- How does remembering that I am a child of God influence the way I respond to discouragement or comparison?
- What abilities or spiritual gifts can I develop to bless someone else?
- Who do I find difficult to treat kindly, and how can seeing that person as my brother or sister change my response?
- What experiences help me recognize Heavenly Father’s personal love for me?
Find Hope Through Jesus Christ’s Plan of Happiness
Elder Stevenson identifies the Atonement of Jesus Christ as central to the great plan of happiness. His account of ministering to a grieving Buddhist priest illustrates how truths about life after death bring comfort and hope. He also teaches that because of Jesus Christ, we can repent, receive forgiveness, and continue progressing when we make mistakes or feel discouraged.
The Book of Mormon calls this “the great plan of happiness.” Central to this plan is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
We witnessed a miraculous transformation: peace for despair, joy for sadness, hope for ashes.
Even when we make mistakes and feel discouraged or wonder if we will ever be good enough, “there is good news—wonderful, hopeful news! Because God loves [us], He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself [our] sins so [we] can repent, be forgiven, and keep progressing.”
- What truths does Elder Stevenson share with the grieving priest, and how does the priest respond?
- Why is Jesus Christ’s Atonement central to the great plan of happiness?
- What hope does Elder Stevenson offer when we make mistakes or question whether we are good enough?
- How does the plan of happiness address both our present struggles and our life after death?
- Which truth about Heavenly Father’s plan brings me hope amid grief or uncertainty?
- How can I turn to Jesus Christ when I feel discouraged about my mistakes?
- What next step can I take in repentance and continued spiritual progress?
- How can I offer compassionate support to someone who grieves without minimizing that person’s pain?
Receive Guidance and Comfort from the Holy Ghost
Elder Stevenson describes the gift of the Holy Ghost and His constant companionship as a precious fruit of the gospel. He explains that this gift comes through the laying on of hands following baptism, both for children at age eight and for converts. The Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit and a member of the Godhead whose roles include warning, comforting, and testifying of truth.
Finally, a most delicious fruit for Latter-day Saints is the gift of the Holy Ghost, His constant companionship.
We know through revelation the Holy Ghost “is a personage of Spirit” and a member of the Godhead.
His very important roles include to warn, to comfort, and to testify.
- How does Elder Stevenson explain the way we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost?
- What does he teach about the Holy Ghost’s nature and membership in the Godhead?
- What three important roles of the Holy Ghost does he identify?
- How does the song “I Know My Father Lives” illustrate the Holy Ghost’s role in testifying?
- What experiences help me recognize the Holy Ghost’s warnings, comfort, or testimony?
- How does the Holy Ghost help me know that Heavenly Father lives and loves me?
- What can I change in my daily routine to make more room to notice and respond to spiritual promptings?
- What prompting can I act on today?
Love, Share, and Invite Others to Partake
Elder Stevenson connects Lehi’s desire to share the fruit with his family to our opportunity to bless family, friends, and loved ones. He invites us to love, share, and invite through both words and actions. He promises that sharing gospel blessings brings even greater joy as others partake of them too.
When Lehi partook of the fruit in his dream, he said, “It filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also.”
I invite you to do something that is as simple as gospel fruit is delicious: love, share, and invite.
As you do so, I promise that you will not only feel joy and happiness that comes as you partake of fruit of the gospel but even greater joy as loved ones around you partake as well.
- What motivates Lehi to invite his family to partake of the fruit?
- What three actions does Elder Stevenson invite us to take?
- Why does his invitation include both words and actions?
- What joy does he promise to those who help others partake of gospel blessings?
- Which gospel blessing do I most want to share, and why?
- Who comes to mind as I consider Elder Stevenson’s invitation?
- How can I show genuine love for that person regardless of how they respond to an invitation?
- What simple, specific invitation can I extend this week?
- What experiences of sharing the gospel help me understand the joy Elder Stevenson describes?
