Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament tells us that we should not rejoice at the misfortune of our enemies and we should not be happy when troubles befall them. This is part of "loving your enemies" which Christ commanded us to do. We should wish the best, even for those who hate us. Not always an easy thing to do. Prov. 24: 17 "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:"

In the Book of Mormon I read Alma's admonitions to the people to repent of their sins or they would be cast out. Are we guilty of any of the things that Alma was calling people to repentance for? Do we sometimes think we're better than other people? Are we puffed up with pride? Do we set our hearts on the vain things of the world? Do we turn our backs on the poor and needy and withhold our substance when it's within our power to help them? These are the very things that Alma mentions and says that if we persist in our wickedness in doing these things, we'll be hewn down and cast out unless we speedily repent. Alma 5: 51, 53-56 "And also the Spirit saith unto me, yea, crieth unto me with a mighty voice, saying: Go forth and say unto this people—Repent, for except ye repent ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of heaven. And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches? Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance— Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them? And finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they who shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent."

Some verses with a thought booklet tell the story of how Josiah destroyed idolatry in Judah. The thought that went with this, written by Rev. Kenneth D. Koeman from Bellevue, Washington says: When Josiah was 16 years old, God moved him to seek His face, and the young king found himself drawn to the God of his father David, the people's great king from four centuries earlier. We can imagine Josiah soaking up the psalms, learning the history of God's mighty acts for the people of Israel, and walking closer and closer to the covenant-keeping God of his ancestors. As this young man came to know God in his holiness and faithfulness, a fire grew in his heart. By the time Josiah was 20 years old he knew what he had to do to move a whole nation to seek God. Meet Josiah, the idol-smasher! The young king went on a holy rampage. It's astonishing to read what he did, even to the point of digging up the bones of dead priests and burning them on their own altars as a sign of total separation from all they stood for. Then, in time, Josiah called the whole nation to seek God. He knew that unless the rituals of worshiping false gods were stopped, and unless the sacred objects of those false religions were shattered, true worship would not flourish. Repentance is the first step toward God. Total rejection of other gods is the first step in revival. "No" comes before "Yes." Is there anything blocking us from seeking God today? 2 Chr. 34: 1-7 "Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about. And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem."