Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read about how Gideon continued to doubt that the Lord would help him defeat the Midianites so he asked for a sign. First he put some fleece on the ground and asked the Lord to put dew on the fleece but not on the ground around it. The Lord did so. Then this still did not satisfy him so he asked the Lord to put dew on the ground but not on the fleece, so the Lord did that also. Are we sometimes like Gideon in this way too? Does the Lord tell us something and we doubt and need proof of it? And then when we get the proof we ask for, do we need even more proof? We need to be more believing and show forth more faith and trust in the Lord. Judges 6: 36-40 "And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground."

In the Book of Mormon I read about how the people were generous and willing to give to those who stood in need--helping the poor and the sick and afflicted. The Lord prospered them so they had an abundance of food, precious metals, and fine cloth. They used these things to give to all who stood in need and they did not set their hearts upon the things of the world. Alma 1: 27-30 "And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely. And thus they did establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions. And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich , having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth. And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked , or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need."

A verse with a thought booklet says that we should welcome the rebuke of a righteous man--it is a kindness to us. Sometimes the very best friend we can have is someone with the courage to tell us when we are wrong. This is illustrated by a thought written by Sharon Foster which says: It's been years since I've seen Rachel Rowe, but I still consider her my friend. I met her in Alabama while she and I were in an Army-sponsored technical writing/editing program. She was smart, quirky, and could make a mean bowl of bean dip. But what I came to appreciate most about Rachel was that she was the kind of friend who had the courage to tell you when you were wrong. I grew up in a family of sassy-tongued people. As a matter of pride and to protect myself, I developed my own tongue to a legendary sharpness. I was a word-slinger and I always had my weapon ready. I took pleasure in knowing that I could take out any bully, regardless of size, with just a few well-placed words. One day I was offended by a man in the office where Rachel and I worked. I don't recollect what he said, but I do recall that he had embarassed me in front of several people. Without batting an eye, I pulled out my weapon, took off the safety, and let him have it right between the eyes. Just before I turned to walk away, I saw tears in his eyes. A couple of days later Rachel came by my house to visit. I was happy to see her, and it didn't hurt that she'd brought a bag of tortilla chips and a bowl of bean dip. While we dipped and munched, she told me that what I had done wasn't kind; I'd used my gift of words for evil rather than for good. Far more than for her winning ways with a bean, I admired Rachel for her honesty and courage, and for loving me enough to tell me the truth. Lord, bless those who have the courage to speak the truth with love. Help me to be numbered among them. Ps. 141: 5 "Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities."