Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read that we need to love our enemies and bless those who curse us.  We need to do good to those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us and despitefully use us. Boy, that's not easy to do!  But if we can truly live this way, we can remove a lot of the power that other people have to hurt us.  If we can remain positive and loving toward all people, we will be filled with peace and the Spirit of the Lord.  I think the only way we can achieve this kind of loving attitude toward our enemies is with help from the Lord.  We can ask Him to change our hearts.  And remember, we're commanded to do this, and the Lord does not give us any commandments except He'll prepare a way for us to do what He asks us to do.  3 Nephi 12: 43-44 "And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy; But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;"

In the Old Testament we read the story of how the widow of Zarephath only had enough meal and oil to make one last meal for herself and her son.  She planned to eat it and then die.  But the prophet Elijah came to her and asked him to first make a cake for him.  Trusting in the Lord, she did so, and she was rewarded with a barrel of meal and a cruse of oil that did not run dry.  When we're willing to give what we have, the Lord blesses us with all that we need. I've seen this same principle bring miracles when people paid their tithing with what little they had, not knowing how they would get money for things they needed.  But the Lord poured His blessings upon them and they somehow were able to obtain the things they needed.   1 Kings 17: 10-15 "So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days."

In some scriptures with a thought booklet we're told that when we're baptized, it's like our old sinful selves are buried and the new person we become is raised to life in newness of life. We become new creatures in Christ.  Romans 6:3-4 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."