Friday, October 14, 2011

S.E.E.D. (an experiment)

Did you know there are TWO invitations and tests in The Book of Mormon to find out if anything, especially spiritual things like the Book of Mormon is true. We of course know there is Moroni 10:3-5:
Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how amerciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and bponder it in your chearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not btrue; and if ye shall ask with a csincere heart, with dreal intent, having efaith in Christ, he will fmanifest the gtruth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may aknow the btruth of all things.

But at Alma 32 give us another one and it is for faith and probably many other things we want to find the truth of. This one is for those scientific types. This one actually follows the scientific method basic's of a hypothesis, an experiment, analyzing the data, etc.

The questions: Are these things true? Should I believe?
Background: You need to study and read and find out as much as possible.
Hypothesis: The Book of Mormon is true because it helps me SEE and D.
Test: Plant the seed in your heart(notice it's not your head)
Annalyze that data: Does it do these things that are explained below?
Communicate results: This is what happened to me. It can happen to you. (why we send missionaries out and share our faith with our neighbors)

Here is the invitation:
27 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 adesire 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.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a bseed may be planted in your cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your dunbelief, 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.

Do you see the SEED? If the seed is good and you have not cast it out by unbelief or resisted the Spirit it will
Swell within your breasts,
Enlarge your soul,
Enlighten your understanding and becomes
Delicious to you!


The Book of Mormon does that for me every time I read it- EVERY TIME!

The goal of planting a seed is to get a tree and get fruit!

What's so great about Alma 32 and this experiment is that it tells us the seed will die if we do not nourish it.
37 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.

38 But if ye aneglect 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.

39 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 aground is bbarren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 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 atree of life.

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with apatience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree bspringing up unto everlasting life.


42 And because of your adiligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the bfruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

I have tasted the fruit and it is sweet above all that is sweet and pure above all that is pure.
It is delicious to me.
Of this I testify.


4 comments:

yeti said...

but don't weeds grow too?

Becky Rose said...

yeti- but are they good? are they Delicious and pure, etc. It's about what they DO to you. How they make you feel.

Christy said...

Love this post!! Very powerful!!

Christy said...

Also, a comment: I love how the scriptures compare this invitation to a tree--something huge and strong that takes a long time to cultivate. I also love how in the next chapter Alma goes on to describe Christ and his atonement and says "this word" is what he desires that they plant in their heart. =) (Alma 33:22-23) =)