Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read that the wicked take the truth to be hard and it cuts them to the very center. If they were righteous, they'd be willing to hearken to the truth and give heed to it and not murmur against it. Nephi exhorted his brothers, once gain, to keep the commandments. 1 Ne. 16: 1-4 "And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear. And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center. And now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did exhort my brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of the Lord."

In the New Testament I read a parable of wicked husbandmen who beat servants, sending them away empty, and then killed the son who was sent to them to get fruit from the vineyard. This was actually spoken against the people who persecuted the prophets who had been sent to them and now would kill God's Son as well. Luke 20:9-19 "Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them."

In some verses with a thought booklet I read about how a eunuch was sitting in a chariot reading Isaiah when Philip came along and asked him if he understood what he was reading. He did not, and he said he could not understand unless someone explained it to him. How many times I've felt like that while reading Isaiah! Philip did explain to him that the reference to someone being led as a lamb to the laughter but not opening his mouth was a reference to Jesus Christ. How exciting it is when scriptures which have seemed so difficult to understand suddenly make sense, and the puzzle pieces all seem to fit into place. When we get discouraged with scriptures we don't understand, we need to keep reading anyway, with a prayerful heart and seeking knowledge from other inspired people. The scriptures do indeed contain the words of truth and we need to put forth effort to understand them. Acts 8:27-35 "And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."


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