Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read that nations and kingdoms that will not serve Zion will perish and become utterly wasted. Isa. 60: 12 "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted."

In the Book of Mormon I read about how unstable and foolish men are, and how quick they are to do evil. This goes right along with what we read yesterday about how in the short space of just a few years the people turned from their righteousness to iniquity. It seems like when things are going well, people tend to forget the Lord. But when He chastens them with afflictions, they turn to Him. Hel. 12: 1-6 "And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him. Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity. And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him. O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world! Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom's paths! Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide."

Some verses with a thought booklet also talks about how the Lord chastises us. When He does so, we can know that He loves us. If we endure the chastening, God will deal with us as His sons. Even though chastening is hard to bear when we're receiving it, it will yield forth fruits of righteousness and peace. Heb. 12: 6-7, 11 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."



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