Daily Thoughts

In the P of GP we read that Joseph Smith retired to the woods with a determination to ask of God. He began to offer up his supplications to God when he was seized upon by some power that overcame him and bound his tongue so he could not speak.  But exerting all his powers to call upon God, he saw a pillar of light exactly over his head and two heavenly beings appeared.  Joseph Smith History 1:14-17   "So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.  After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.  But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.  It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

In the New Testament we read that we need to do everything we do in the name of the Lord and give thanks unto Him.  Isn't this what we covenant to do when we take the sacrament and promise to take His name upon us and always remember Him?  Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us to rejoice in truth, but not iniquity. At first I wondered who would rejoice in iniquity, or evil.  Are we happy when we hear about somebody committing murders or abusing children? I doubt very many people rejoice about such things. But what about if we're struggling with our teenager while our friend's children seem perfect, and then we find out that one of those perfect children made a big mistake and got arrested? Or maybe we study and study to get through school while our friend seems to glide by with straight A's--then it is discovered that our friend has been cheating and gets expelled. Or we find out that the bully who made our childhood miserable grew up to become an alcoholic and lives on the street. Are we ever happy at the misfortunes of others?  Does it make us smug when somebody messes up even worse than we have? We need to be careful that we don't rejoice in evil. 1 Corinthians 13:6 "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;"