Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read about how Jesus asked Nephi to bring forth the record that they had kept.  When Jesus read it, He pointed out that it had not been written how Samuel the Lamanite had prophesied that many saints would arise from the dead and appear unto many, ministering unto them, and that this prophecy had been fulfilled.  Jesus commanded that this should be added to the record.  When we have spiritual experiences in our lives, do we write them down in our journals?  If not, there may come a day when Jesus asks us why we didn't record these sacred events.  There is an old Chinese proverb that says "The palest ink is better than the best memory"  Write down the answers to pray, the strokes of inspiration that came at a needed moment, the blessing that healed, the church meeting that spoke to the needs of your heart at time of trial. Don't rely on your memory.  Write it down!  3 Nephi 23:7-13 "And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept. And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said: Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so? And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled. And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded."

In the Old Testament we read about how a book of the law was found in the House of the Lord.  When this book was taken to the king and he read it, he realized how sinful the people had been in not keeping the covenants contained in the book.  He knew the Lord's wrath would be upon the people.  He read the words of the book to the people and then had them covenant to walk after the Lord and keep His commandments.  Then he destroyed the false gods and removed idolatry out of the land.  This demonstrates how valuable reading the scriptures is.  It reminds us of what we should be doing and the covenants we have made.  When we neglect the scriptures, we tend to forget these things and our lives reflect it.  It's very important to read our scriptures daily.  2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-7 "And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el.  And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the grove."

Some verses with a thought booklet remind us that if God is for us, who can be against us?  He sacrificed His Son who died for us.  If He loved us enough to not spare His Son for us, how can we not know that He'll freely give us all things?  Romans 8:31-32 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"