Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that contention is of the devil and is the doctrine of Christ that such things should be done away with.  Satan is the father of contention and stirs up the hears of men to contend in anger one toward another.  So if we ever find ourselves in an angry, heated "discussion" with someone we can know that this is not of God.  And the Spirit of the Lord cannot be felt under such circumstances.  No good will come of this type of contention.  3 Nephi 11:29-30 "For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away."

In the Old Testament we read that Jeroboam was afraid that the heart of the people would turn to the Lord and to Rehoboam instead of him, so he set up false gods for them to worship, encouraging them to worship those gods instead of traveling to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice to the true God in His House.  This caused the people to sin. 1 Kings 12:26-30 "And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan."

A verse with a thought booklet warns us not to judge one another and to be careful not to place a stumbling block in our brother's way.  Romans 14:13 "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."