Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read how Gideon, with his mere 300 men was able to defeat the Midianites. They frightened them with trumpets and lights so that they fought among themselves and did flee. Judg. 7: 19-23 "So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites."

In the Book of Mormon I read that there began to be much pride among the people of the church who were becoming wealthy and had many expensive things. This was the beginning of strife and envy and contention among the people, and became a stumbling block to those who did not belong to the church and caused the church to fail in it's progress. Do we ever find ourselves prideful or looking down on people who have less than we do? Could we prove to be a stumbling block to others because of our actions or attitudes? We go on to read that there were some humble followers of Christ who looked forward to His coming with faith and knew that He would redeem them from their sins and bring about the resurrection from the dead. These humble followers were trying to do what was right and giving to the poor and sharing what they had. But they were being persecuted. Alma was saddened to see these things happening among the people, but the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him. Alma 4: 6-15 "And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel. Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders over the church; yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people. For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure. And thus, in this eighth year of the reign of the judges, there began to be great contentions among the people of the church; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God. And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress. And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninth year, Alma saw the wickedness of the church, and he saw also that the example of the church began to lead those who were unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people. Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted. Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ's sake, who should come according to the spirit of prophecy; Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death. And now it came to pass that Alma, having seen the afflictions of the humble followers of God, and the persecutions which were heaped upon them by the remainder of his people, and seeing all their inequality, began to be very sorrowful; nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him."

Some verses with a thought booklet talk about three different kinds of sins. 1) Errors--sins we commit which we may not even be aware of unless someone points them out to us. 2) Secret faults--things we're aware we're doing but which we try to keep hidden and secret from others. 3) Presumptuous or willful sins--things we know are wrong but which we rebelliously do anyway. But we're reassured that whether our sins are unintentional or willful, hidden or known, the Lord can forgive us for them and cleanse us from them. He is our strength and our Redeemer. Ps. 19: 12-14 "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."

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