The Only Good Fruit is Repentance

During family scripture study, we were reading about pruning the Lord’s vineyard and preserving good fruit. 

Then the servants went ahead and worked hard, and the lord of the vineyard also worked with them. And they obeyed the lord of the vineyard’s direction in all things. And original fruit again grew in the vineyard, and the original branches began to grow and produce abundantly, and the wild branches began to be cut off and thrown away. And they kept the root and the top equal based on their strength. This is how they worked with all diligence according to the lord of the vineyard’s commandments, until the bad had been thrown out of the vineyard and the lord had saved the good for himself, so the trees had again produced the original fruit. And they became like one body and the fruit was equally good; and the lord of the vineyard had saved the original fruit for himself, which was most valuable to him from the beginning. Jacob 3:27 [emphasis added] https://scriptures.info/scriptures/cc/jacob/3.27#27

The only way to guarantee you are not among those who will be “hewn down and cast in to the fire” is to bring forth sweet fruit. All of that is entirely individual. There is no group salvation, and never has been. Each person has the same opportunity and responsibility to bring forth good fruit. Chapter 6: I KNOW OF NO REVELATION, paragraph 57 (approx. page 128) 2007-10-31 Eighteen Verses  [emphasis added] 

John asked the family what it means to be good fruit or bring forth good fruit because it is easy to assume we are good fruit without knowing what that means. He found this explanation to help us understand what it means to be good fruit.

A true prophet’s message will produce repentance. The only good fruit which can be offered in this world is repentance. When mankind lays down their sins because of a message, that message comes from Him. All others are distractions and invite you to err. The fruit which gives eternal life is repentance and a return to Christ. When the message comes from a false prophet, you can know the messengers, along with those who listen to it, and the message itself will be “hewn down, and cast into the fire.” It will be purged.https://denversnuffer.com/2010/10/3-nephi-14-15-20/ [emphasis added] 

Those who desire to bring forth good fruit or be fruit worth preserving are continually repenting.

And Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests, one priest for every 50. He ordained them to preach and teach concerning God’s kingdom. And he commanded them to only teach the things he and the holy prophets had taught. To be clear, he commanded them to preach nothing but repentance and faith in the Lord, who had redeemed His people. And he commanded them not to have any heated arguments with each other, but to look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts bound together in unity and love toward each other. This is how he commanded them to preach. And so they became God’s children. [emphasis added] Mosiah 9:9  https://scriptures.info/scriptures/cc/mosiah/9.9#9

Repentance is a process not a destination. I used to be critical of myself when I made errors. I spent too much time regretting my mistakes. One day as I lamented my weakness, I heard a voice asking,  “Did you learn something?” I eagerly responded explaining the lessons I had gained from the experience. I then heard Him encouraging me to get up and move on and give the guilt and shame to Him. I realized God does not want to punish me. He wants me to learn and grow. My focus changed away from my mistakes and toward what the experience was teaching me. I saw value in the tailor-made experiences life was providing me and began to rejoice in the learning process in spite of my clumsiness. 

Our Heavenly Parents know their children are going to stumble and fall many times as they develop. The Doctrine of Christ teaches us to repent and become as a little child. When little children learn to walk, they fall over and over, but they also keep getting up until they learn to walk. Little children are eager to learn and grow. Our Parents are always reaching out to inspire us to keep going and growing until we learn how to navigate every situation . . .  until we become even as They are. 

The Lord's purposes for us are fulfilled as we learn, grow, and develop. It is not helpful for us to wallow in guilt, shame, and regret, yet sometimes we do. Our pain is beneficial when it causes us to cry out to the Lord. Yet, we should not expect the Lord to wave a wand and immediately relieve our distress. We should expect to be corrected and instructed. Every experience in life is specifically designed for our growth and learning. The pain can turn to joy as we learn from our experiences. Jesus knows how to lead us through the ever changing maze we are required to navigate. He is a good guide. . . the best teacher. 

As a young LDS missionary, I had a dream that changed the way I thought about repentance. At the end of the dream I was told, “The purpose of life is to get better as soon as possible and be happy.” Repentance brings understanding, freedom, and light. It is meant to change us and give us peace, joy, and hope.