Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that Nephi made tools and began to build a ship.  His brothers murmured against him and mocked him, saying he was a fool to think he could build a ship and cross the waters. They did not believe that the Lord had instructed him to build a ship and they refused to help him. When Nephi saw how hard their hearts were, it saddened him. His brothers recounted the tribulations they had gone through while traveling in the wilderness and said it would have been better that they had died.  They said they wished they'd stayed in Jerusalem where they could have been happy and enjoyed their possessions. They said that the people in Jerusalem were righteous and that their father had misjudged them.  1 Nephi 17:16-22 " And it came to pass that I did make tools of the ore which I did molten out of the rock.  And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters. And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord. And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work.  And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions.  Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy.  And we know that the people who were in the land of Jerusalem were a righteous people; for they kept the statutes and judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments, according to the law of Moses; wherefore, we know that they are a righteous people; and our father hath judged them, and hath led us away because we would hearken unto his words; yea, and our brother is like unto him. And after this manner of language did my brethren murmur and complain against us."

In the Old Testament we're told that we should give to the poor and share what we have with the needy.  The Lord told the people when they harvested their crops, they should leave the corners of their field

for the poor people to reap from.  Leviticus 23:22 "And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God."

A verse with a thought booklet reminds us that the Lord takes care of the birds of the air, how can we not know that we're of more value than many birds so we can safely trust in the Lord.  Matthew 6:26 "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"