The Love of God

I was reading about Lehi’s dream again this morning. We know the iron rod is the word of God later in 1 Nephi. What was the word of God to Lehi and Nephi that helped bring them to the fruit, the love of God? We know they rejoiced at reading the brass plates and were filled with the spirit of prophecy. We know Lehi was given dreams and visions to bring him and his family to the love of God. The Lord told Lehi directly to send his boys back for the plates and back for Ishmael’s family. Nephi was later given the word of God to build a boat in order to arrive at the promised land. The word of God to us individually will be found in the scriptures and personal revelation. This will ultimately be what brings us to the tree, the fruit, the love of God. Peace, contentment and love from the true vine, the only source of pure love, God, can only come as we follow Him. As Joseph Smith pointed out in the Lectures on Faith, Jesus is the prototype of the saved man. He followed His Father in complete submission to His will. We follow Jesus, our Father (as Abinadi points out so beautifully), and then we are filled with His love.