Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read a verse that is so true--that there is no peace unto the wicked. Isa. 48: 22 "There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked."

In the Book of Mormon I read about how the Nephites became wicked and filled with pride and the Lord no longer protected them from their enemies as a result. Because they boasted of their own strength, they were left to their own strength. If we become prideful and think we can go through life without the help of the Lord, we likewise may be left to our own strength. And when that happens, we're in trouble! Hel. 4: 11-13, 24-26 "Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God. And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites— And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands. And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples— Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should cleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish. For behold, they saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus had they become weak, because of their transgression, in the space of not many years."

Some verses with a thought booklet tell us that instead of looking at our own selfish desires, we should think of other, and we should follow the example of Christ who humbled Himself and took upon Himself the form of a servant. He sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. How willing are we to humbly make sacrifices in our lives in order to serve others? If someone needs our help at an inconvenient time, are we there for them? This is such a small thing compared to what Christ did for us. Philip. 2: 4-8 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
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