Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament, Job says that God has tried him, but he has come forth as gold and that he has kept the commandmends and esteemed the Word of God more than necessary food. Indeed,the Word of God is necessary to feed us spiritually, just as the food we eat feeds us physically. Both are necessary. When God tries us, do we come forth as gold? Job 23: 10-12 "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."


In the Pearl of Great Price I read about a conversatino between Enoch and the Lord in which Enoch saw the Lord weeping over the wickedness of the people He had created. The Lord doesn't delight in destroying and punishing evil people--it breaks His heart and makes Him weep. Moses 7: 28-36 "And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations ; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever; And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst cweep? The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency; And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should alove one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; And the fire of mine indignation is kindled against them; and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them. Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also. Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren."

Some verses with a thought booklet tell us that God blessed and sanctified the Sabbath Day and rested from all His work. Shouldn't we likewise rest from our work and make the Sabbath a special day? I think often times people in our day treat Sunday just like any other day of the week--a day to get more work done or a day for recreational pursuits that have nothing to do with drawing closer to the Lord. On the contrary, this should be a day dedicated to worship and devotion and to the recharging of our spiritual batteries. Gen. 2: 2-3 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."