Daily Thoughts

n the Book of Mormon I read that Christ loved the world so much that He laid down His life for all of us.  Unless we show forth charity, the pure love of Christ, we cannot inherit the place which has been prepared for us.  Ether 12:  33 "And again, I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men."

In the Old Testament we read about the wondrous miracles that the Lord wrought among the children of Israel--He brought them out of Egypt in the midst of their afflictions and divided the Red Sea so they could escape their persecutors.  He lead them with a cloudy pillar by day and a pillar of fire by night. And He gave them commandments.  Did you ever think of commandments are blessings from the Lord?  They are!  He fed them manna in the wilderness and made water come forth out of rock to quench their thirst.  What a loving Lord to do all these things for His children!  But after all this, they hardened their hearts and did not obey the commandments.  They forgot all the wonders that the Lord had done for them and refused to obey Him.  Even though He was gracious, merciful, full of kindness and had not forsaken them, they made a molten calf to worship and claimed that it had brought them forth out of Egypt.  Can you imagine?  In yet in spite of their inexcusable behavior, the Lord continued to sustain them in the wilderness for 40 years, so that they lacked nothing.  Even their clothing did not wear out.  What a loving and long suffering God!  Let's learn from the bad example of the Israelites and show the Lord gratitude and love and obedience. He only gives us commandments because He loves us and wants us to be happy.  Nehemiah 9:9-21 "And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea; And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day. And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters. Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.  But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage; but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.  Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet describe the joy a father shows when his prodigal son returns.  He throws a party for him and kills the fattened calf to make a big feast.  What a celebration!  Likewise when we return to our Heavenly Father, after we have strayed, He rejoices over us.  We are His beloved children and He welcomes us with open arms.  Luke 15:22-24 "But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."