Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read that because of Manasseh's wickedness, the Lord allowed the Assyrians to take him and bind him and carry him into Babylon. Finally, when he was suffering all these afflictions, he humbled himself and turned to the Lord, who heard his prayers and brought him again to Jerusalem. The repentant Menasseh removed the strange gods and idols and repaired the altar of the Lord where sacrifices to the God of Israel could be made. It's good that Manasseh was able to repent and change his life, but it's sad that it took afflictions and suffering to humble him. How much better had he been willing to do righteousnessly in the first place. 2 Chr. 33: 11-13, 15-16 "Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God. And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel."


In the D&C it talks about how when Christ comes again, the dead will be caught up to meet Him in a cloud and those who are pure and righteous will have crowns of glory upon their heads and reap eternal joy for all their sufferings. What a glorious day that will be! D&C 109: 75-76 "That when the trump shall sound for the dead, we shall be caught up in the cloud to meet thee, that we may ever be with the Lord; That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings."

A verse with a thought booklet talks about not just beginning a good work, but continuing to perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. It's not enough to begin doing the right thing, we need to endure to the end. Philip. 1: 6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
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