Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read that the Nephites kept their records and handed them down from one generation to the next, but even a hundredth part of their proceedings cannot be contained in this work.   Helaman 3:14-16 "But behold, a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work. But behold, there are many books and many records of every kind, and they have been kept chiefly by the Nephites. And they have been handed down from one generation to another by the Nephites, even until they have fallen into transgression and have been murdered, plundered, and hunted, and driven forth, and slain, and scattered upon the face of the earth, and mixed with the Lamanites until they are no more called the Nephites, becoming wicked, and wild, and ferocious, yea, even becoming Lamanites."

In the Old Testament we read about how the Philistines took the ark of God and set it before their false god Dagon.  The next morning, their idol Dagon had fallen over.  They set him back up and the next morning he had fallen over again and his head and hands were cut off. Not only that, but the people were destroyed and were smitten with emerods. This frightened them so they took  the ark of God to Gath to get it out of their hands.  This made great destruction and emerods come upon the people of Gath.  So the people of Gath sent the ark of God to Ekron where the people there wanted nothing to do with it and decided they'd better send it back where it belonged. 1 Samuel 5:1-12 "And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.  When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people. So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven."

A verse with a thought booklet tells about the positive effect we can have on others when we encourage and console them.  We can refresh them and give them (and us) great joy.  Sometimes it can make all the difference in a person's life if they have someone who sees something in them that can't see in themselves--potential they didn't know they had.  Let's try to be sensitive to other people and give them the love and encourage they might need.  Philemon 1:7 "For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother."