Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament it talked about how the Lord would gather scattered Israel and give them a new heart and new spirit to replace their stony heart. They would be His people and keep His commandments and He would be their God. But to those who walk after detestable things and abominations, the Lord will recompense their way upon their own heads. If we will turn to the Lord, He can likewise change our hearts and make us new people. Ezek. 11: 17-21 "Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God ; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God."

In the D&C I read that the elect who hear the word of the Lord and don't harden their hearts will be gathered. These are they who have prepared their hearts in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation will be sent forth upon the wicked. When the wicked and proud are ripe in their iniquity, they will be destroyed. This goes right along with what we read in the Old Testament above, where the wicked will receive their punishment.  D&C 29: 7-9 "And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked. For the hour is nigh and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe; and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth;"

Some scriptures with a thought booklet tell the parable of the sheep and the goats and how people will be separated by the way they treat others. If they feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the naked, visit the sick and needy, they are doing these things unto the Lord and will receive a wonderful reward. But, on the other hand, if they neglect to do these things for other people, they are not doing them for the Lord and they will receive a punishment prepared for the devil and his angels. However we treat other people, we are doing that unto the Lord. Want to do something for Jesus? Find someone in need and help them. And for the third time in our readings for today the message is brought home that the righteous will be rewarded and the wicked punished.  Matt. 25: 33-46 "And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."


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