Feast upon His love: a pattern for steadfastness

There is a text in the Book of Mormon that has been on my mind lately. It comes from the book of Jacob, written by a man who lived in difficult times and often had to deliver heavy messages. But amidst all that seriousness, he suddenly turns to the people who are trying to do good. He says:

'O, all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasant word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are steadfast, forever do it.' (Jacob 3:2)

The world around us can be hard. Sometimes it feels as if the ground beneath our feet is moving. That is precisely why I find this invitation so powerful. It doesn't simply say that we should 'feel' or 'notice' God's love. It says:  feast upon.

In English it is  feast upon his love. That is an active verb. It's not a light snack; it's a feast. It suggests that God's love is nutrition. It is fuel. And the best thing about this text? It is available to everyone who is 'pure in heart'. That doesn't mean you have to be perfect or have everything figured out. A pure heart begins with a sincere desire.

If deep down you have the desire to do good, to seek God, then this invitation is for you. You may lift up your head. You don't have to let yourself be brought down by the noise of the world. You may sit down and drink of that love. That is not a reward you only get at the end of the journey; it is sustenance for  now.

A pattern of steadfastness

But how do you do that? How do you stay upright so that you can continue to enjoy that love? The text states an important condition:  if your mind is unshaken.

Unshaken.  Unshaken.

That might sound like a characteristic you either have or don't, like some innate steel nerves. But when I look at Jacob – and at my own life – I see something different. Unshakability is not a character trait; it is the result of a conscious pattern. I myself am someone who really loves to search, to study and to get to the bottom of things. Passively waiting until I am 'enlightened' doesn't work for me. And when I analyze Jacob's texts, I see that he didn't do that either.

He developed his steadfastness through three active steps that we too can take:

1. Focus (The mindset) Even before he begins to speak of the feast, Jacob says: 'Behold God with steadfastness of spirit'. It begins with looking. Where do you direct your gaze when the storm rages? Do you focus on the chaos, or do you fix your gaze on God? It is a conscious choice of your mindset.

2. Study (The work) This is the point that personally appeals to me most. Jacob later writes that his faith became unshaken  because they searched the prophets (searched). Faith is not blind. It requires intellectual and spiritual labor. I firmly believe in continuously researching, reading, and learning. You don't build a foundation by doing nothing; you build it by acquiring knowledge and digging into the word.

3. Result (The steadfastness) When Jacob, at the end of his life, is challenged by someone who wants to unsettle him, he simply says: 'I could not be shaken.' That was not arrogance. That was the logical consequence of his focus and his study.

An active path for everyone

We often summarize the gospel in steps: faith, repentance, baptism, and enduring to the end. Sometimes that sounds like a checklist we have to tick off. But when I look at this text, I see it differently. It is an invitation to action.

The path to God is not a passive waiting room. It is an active quest. It begins with that simple, pure desire in your heart – the desire to partake in that feast. That desire sets you in motion to focus and study. And precisely in that active process, in that 'seeking', you find the stability you need.

So, if you feel uncertain today, or if the world seems overwhelming: lift your head. Your desire is enough to begin. Go explore. Keep learning. Keep focusing. And know that, in the midst of that quest, a feast of love awaits you to feast on forever.