In my post immediately prior I touched on an aspect of the gospel, the edict to be fruitful.  The command applies to all irrespective of religion, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic standing, et cetera.  All are commanded alike to be fruitful.  The percentage yield is directly proportional to one’s obedience to God’s commandments: the greater the obedience, the greater the yield.  Thus the Lord disciplines and prunes, both with the intent to increase fruitfulness in our lives.

I was certainly pruned yesterday.  I spoke in Sacrament about Temples and quoted at length from the First Presidency’s epistle to the Saints just prior to the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple in 1893.  Specifically, I read how the Brethren exhorted the Saints to repentance, particularly in their relationships one with another.  How there should be no evil speaking, backbiting, pride, or “coolness” amongst the Saints, whether in the same Ward or around the world.  Moreover, the Brethren exhorted the Saints to resolve any such feelings prior to attendance at the upcoming SLC Temple dedication.

Their counsel remains equally applicable in our day – especially for those that attended yesterday’s Draper Utah Temple dedication, whether in person or via satellite broadcast.  I found myself equally under need of rebuke and repentance and felt touched (i.e. pruned) by the Master’s Hand as I wrote a letter, immediately prior to the broadcast, seeking forgiveness and declaring my appreciation and love.

A Ward member indicated she would do likewise for a father from whom she has been estranged these past twenty some years.  Surely the Lord works miracles daily – they need not always be attended by rushing winds or Angelic visitations, the glory of the dedication notwithstanding.