Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read that when people who have once been enlightened and known the truth turn away from it, they become more hardened and in a worse state than had they never known those things.  It is sad when a good person who knows the truth falls away.  I've seen this happen to people and often they become very bitter and bent on fighting the work of the Lord.  I've seen people who could leave the church but could not leave it alone.  And they indeed are in a worse state than people who never knew or understood about the gospel in the first place.   Alma 24:  30 "And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things."

In the Old Testament we read about how there was no water so the people murmured and complained to Moses and Aaron.  They went to the tabernacle and fell on their faces and the glory of the Lord appeared to them and the Lord told Moses to smite a rock with his rod and water would come out.  He did that and water gushed out to quench the thirst of all the people and their animals.  Numbers 20:2-11 "And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also."

Some verses in a thought booklet exhort us to be holy and serve the Lord, giving us lots of things we need to work on such as  being king, humble, longsuffering, merciful, charitable, forgiving, etc.  We need to let the Word of Christ dwell in us and the peace of God rule in our hearts, and do all that we do, in word or in deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus, always giving thanks unto God.  Colossians 3:12-17 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."