Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read the reaction of Pahoran to being unjustly censured by Moroni and accused of doing things he was not guilty of.  He was not angry, but still found the good in Moroni.  When we're unjustly accused, can we look past it and still see the good in the person who misjudged us?  Can we freely forgive them?  Pahoran is a great example of this.    Alma 61:9 "And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free."


In the Old Testament I read about how Boaz showed kindness to Ruth, having heard about how she left her home and family to follow her mother in law. He told Ruth that the Lord was recompensing her work and giving her a reward.  We can safely trust in the Lord. Ruth 2:10-12 "Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust."

In some scriptures with a thought booklet we read about how Naaman needed to learn humility on his quest to be healed of his leprosy.  He went to the prophet to be healed and expected to be treated like royalty.  Instead, the prophet didn't even come out personally to greet him but instead sent a servant out to talk to him.  And then the servant asked him to go dip himself seven times in the Jordan River.  Weren't there greater rivers than that back home?  His initial reaction was to go off in a huff. But then his own servants talked sense into him, and he was able to humble himself enough to do what he'd been told to do--and the result was that he was healed!  Sometimes we're not asked to do some great and important thing, but rather something simple and mundane.  Will we be humble enough to do whatever it is that's been asked of us or will we go off in a huff, thinking we're too good for something like that?  2 Kings 5:9-14 "So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."