A Big Difference

Helaman 4:11-13

11 Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God.

12 And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites—

13 And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.

How do we avoid this cycle of pride? Those who read the Book of Mormon are well aware that they sin again, suffer the consequences, then repent again, and repeat.

When the Nephites repent, they were surely sincere. How do we stay repentant?

I think a wonderful distinction is most likely in Lehi's dream.

Elder Bednar draws a lesson on two character groups: that those who made it to the tree either stayed or fell away. The difference was in their approach to the tree: one group was merely clinging to the rod, and the other continually holding fast.

Let's observe some differences between the two groups, shall we? Fasten your seatbelts:

Made it to The Tree but fell away	Made it to The Tree and remained there
Clinging to the rod of iron: One definition of “cling” is to “be overly dependent on (someone) emotionally” (Google). An example of this is in a child who clings to their mother when shy or afraid, but lets go of mother when confident – in both heart and deed. The word of God needs to be in our hearts continually, not just when we are in need or afraid.	Continually holding fast: The word of God remained with the people in their hearts from day to day. In the beginning of each day, they ensured that they would remember the Lord their God and the principles and standards of truth to uphold. At the end of each day, they measured their performance before the Lord, even if nothing “churchy” was done that day. This process of evaluation is likely natural because they truly desire to be close to the Lord.
John Bytheway uses the analogy of a speaker in church bringing a big jug of The Living Water he or she has accumulated in his/her preparation for the speaking assignment, and from life in general. Speakers who have the characteristic of falling away from the tree only bring cups about the size of the sacrament cups: small and easily spilt.	Those who have the characteristic of remaining at the tree and holding fast to the rod have brought their own jug to capture as much as they can from sacrament and other meetings. While almost all can walk away from church claiming to bring something new/refreshing with them, not all are “feasting” on God’s word.
I combine the words of two influential speakers in this box: “Heaven will not be heaven for those who have not chosen to [become] heavenly” (Brad Wilcox).	“President Marion G. Romney said once, you’ll remember, service is not just something we do to get into heaven, but service is the way of life in heaven. You know, it’s God’s way of life. It’s what we do there” (Elder Christofferson, The Gospel Answers Life’s Problems and Challenges).
Partiality: Do you open your heart to only some of the doctrines of the truth that are convenient for you? Do you turn yourself off when the topic or speaker is uninteresting?	Or do you ask in heart and mind, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth” and let the Spirit be the true speaker, no matter the talent, preparedness, spirituality of the speaker? And do you desire to improve yourself before the Lord in all areas?
“It is significant that the second group pressed forward with faith and commitment. They also had the added blessing of the rod of iron, and they were clinging to it! However, as they were confronted with persecution and adversity, they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost. Even with faith, commitment, and the word of God, this group eventually was lost—perhaps because they only periodically read or studied or searched the scriptures. Clinging to the rod of iron suggests to me only occasional “bursts” of study or irregular dipping rather than consistent, ongoing immersion in the word of God” (Bednar).	“The third group also pressed forward with faith and conviction; however, there is no indication that they wandered off, fell into forbidden paths, or were lost. Perhaps this third group of people consistently read and studied and searched the scriptures. Perhaps it was diligence and devotion to a seemingly “small and simple [thing]” (Alma 37:6) that saved the third group from perishing. Perhaps it was “the knowledge of the Lord” and “the knowledge of the truth” (Alma 23:5, 6) obtained through faithful study of the scriptures that yielded the spiritual gift of humility—such that this group of people “fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree” (1 Nephi 8:30; emphasis added). Perhaps it was the spiritual nourishment and strength provided by continually “feasting upon the word of Christ” (2 Nephi 31:20) that enabled this group to heed not the scorning and mocking of the people in the great and spacious building (see 1 Nephi 8:33). This is the group you and I should strive to join” (Bednar).

The above table and analysis is the personal result of much ponderation. I, of myself, am surprised to have found so much distinction between two groups who seemed almost parallel when I first read of them in my youth.

The Tree of Life is symbolic of the Saviour, but it can also be symbolic of many other things in life. Since all good things come from the Saviour, how we treat everything good in our lives (from a scale of abusing to ignoring to full appreciation) is suggestive of our understanding of who the Saviour is, and what He means to us.

We can thus say within ourselves to the blessings of people and things in our lives, “how I treat you is an indication of my relationship with the Saviour.”

One only has to ponder the story of the ten lepers who approached Christ to see another difference between those who merely cling to the rod, and those who continually hold fast to it. One only has to ponder their place and state among the four types of soil to see the superiority in the spiritual humility of the good soil.