Daily Thoughts

In the D&C we read that whoever is willing to lay down his life for the Lord's sake will find it again.  And whoever is not willing to do so is not His disciple. Most of us will probably not be called upon to die for the Lord.  But are we willing to live for Him?  Are we willing to sacrifice for Him and the gospel?  Are we willing to serve Him and keep His commandments?  Sometimes it's easier to think we'd be willing to die as a martyr than to go help clean the church at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning or accept a calling serving in the nursery.  D&C 103:27-28 "Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again.  And whoso is not willing to lay down his life for my sake is not my disciple."

In the Old Testament we read about all the wonderful things the Lord did for His people and the blessings He poured out on them, in yet they have ot served Him in spirit or in truth.  They need to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before Him.  Micah 6:3-8 "O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.  For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Some scriptures with a thought booklet should be very familiar to us but they are extremely important.  They remind us that if we don't have charity, the pure love of Christ, we are nothing.  Even if we do many wonderful things, if we don't have love in our hearts, it means nothing.  And what are the qualities of charity?  Love is patient, kind, doesn't envy, doesn't boast, isn't proud, isn't rude, isn't self-seeking, isn't short-tempered, doesn't keep a grudge, doesn't delight in evil but prizes truth, always protects, always trusts and hopes, always keeps hanging in there.  What a great description on how to get along with people and deal with even the difficult people in our lives.  1 Corinthians 13:1-13 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."