Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that after the Messiah had preached the gospel to the Jews, they would crucify Him because of their unbelief, but He would rise from the dead and would make Himself manifest to the Gentile by the Holy Ghost. Israel would be scattered upon all the face of the earth, but then they would be gathered again. The Gentiles who received the fullness of the gospel and come to knowledge of the true Messiah would be grafted into the House of Israel.  1 Nephi 10: 11-14 "And it came to pass after my father had spoken these words he spake unto my brethren concerning the gospel which should be preached among the Jews, and also concerning the dwindling of the Jews in unbelief. And after they had slain the Messiah, who should come, and after he had been slain he should rise from the dead, and should make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles. Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive tree, whose branches should be broken off and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth.  Wherefore, he said it must needs be that we should be led with one accord into the land of promise, unto the fulfilling of the word of the Lord, that we should be scattered upon all the face of the earth. And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer."

In the Old Testament we read that the Lord gave signs to Moses to prove to Pharaoh that the Lord had sent him.  Exodus 4:1-9 "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.  And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:  That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land."

Some verses with a thought booklet tell us that when we face trials of any kind we should consider it nothing but joy because we know that the testing of our faith produces endurance.  The experiences we go through strengthen us and help to make us the people the Lord wants us to become.  We can learn from our trials and gain new ways of understanding.  James 1:2-3 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."