Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read that Hezekiah asked Isaih for a sign that the Lord had healed him. Isaiah told him that he chould make the shodwos go forward ten degrees or back ten degrees. Hezekiah said he wanted the shadow to return ten degrees, and it was done. 2 Kgs. 20: 8-11 "And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz."

In the D&C I read a strong admonition that we must repent or endure great suffering. Jesus Christ died for us, suffering great agony that we cannot even imagine. He suffered on our behalf so that if we'd repent, we would not need to suffer for our sins. He did that for us. However, if we refuse to repent, we'll need to suffer for our own sins. What a great gift He has given to us, providing a way that we can be forgiven for our transgressions. Wouldn't we be fools to reject His wonderful gift by refusing to repent? D&C 19: 15-19 "Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."

A verse from a thought booklet tells us that every good gift we have comes from God, which should make us tremendously grateful for all that He has done for us. And we can depend on God being unchanging. He does not change like the shifting shadows. A story is told of a beginning painter who camped by a lake and got up before dawn to paint the beautiful scenery. However, as the sun rose in the sky, the colors and shadows changed so much that he couldn't keep up with it to paint the scene. God isn't like that. He always remains the same, and His love for us and desire to bless us remains steadfast in a changing world. It's something we can count on. James 1: 17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
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