Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read that Lehi testified to his children about the great things the Lord had done for them--leading them out of Jerusalem and bringing them to the promised land. Had they remained in Jerusalem, they would have been destroyed. In spite of their rebellions, the Lord had been merciful to them in warning them to flee Jerusalem. 2 Ne. 1: 1-4 "And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem. And he spake unto them concerning their rebellions upon the waters, and the mercies of God in sparing their lives, that they were not swallowed up in the sea. And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem. For, behold, said he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished."

In the New Testament I read about the martyrdom of Stephen. He was full of the Spirit and was able to look up into heaven and see the glory of God, with Jesus standing on the right hand of God. This only angered the people who stopped their ears because they didn't want to hear what he had to say, and stoned him to death, all while he was praising God and asking the Lord to forgive them. Acts 7: 55-60 "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us that a lazy fellow is a pain to his employers--like smoke in their eyes or vinegar that sets their teeth on edge. How refreshing it is to work with someone who is a hard worker--eager to get in and get things done, even without supervision. Can people count on us to do what we're supposed to do? Are we hard working and enthusiastic or are we slothful and look for excuses to get out of doing things? Proverbs 10:26 "As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him."
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