Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read about how King Uzziah burnt incense to the Lord, which only the priests were authorized to do. When he was chastised by the priests he became angry, and the Lord punished him by givng him leprousy. 2 Chr. 26: 16-21 "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land."

In the D&C I read that after much tribulation come the blessings. Sometimes we have to endure trials and prove ourselves through the difficult times, before the blessings will come. D&C 103: 12 "For after much tribulation, as I have said unto you in a former commandment, cometh the blessing."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet say that many of us bless God and curse our fellowmen, who were created in the image of God--all coming out of the same mouth. This ought not to be! How can we go to church on Sunday and praise the Lord and then turn around and curse people who upset us or get in our way. If we truly praised God in our worship, we should not be using our tongues to curse others and use language that dishonors the Lord. James 3: 9-10 "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same amouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be."




-----------------------------------------