Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that those who d not harden their hearts will be saved n the Kingdom of God.  But awful will be the  state of those who reject the word of Christ and do not follow Him.  They will be burned. So we need to repent and cleave unto the Lord, as He cleaves unto us. He will be merciful unto those who turn to Him.  Jacob 6:4-13 "And how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the kingdom of God.  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.  Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die?  For behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire? Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you? Know ye not that if ye will do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection, which is in Christ, will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God?  And according to the power of justice, for justice cannot be denied, ye must go away into that lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever, which lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment.  O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life.  O be wise; what can I say more? Finally, I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen."

A verse in the Old Testament makes an interesting observation.  It says that the reason Rehoboam did evil was because he had not prepared his heart to seek the Lord. How can we prepare our hearts to seek the Lord, and what are we doing to prepare our hearts in this way today? If we slack off in this, we are vulnerable to falling into transgression, just as Rehoboam did.  2 Chronicles 12: 14 "And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet tell us that people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, and then talk about the coming of the Prince of Peace. Indeed, the Savior coming into the world is like a light shining in the darkness.  I love photography.  And I've noticed the difference in y pictures when the sun is shining.  I can take pictures of colorful autumn leaves on a gloomy cloudy day, and they just don't look as vibrant and alive as they would if the sun was out.  The light makes all the difference!  And having the light of the Lord in our lives makes all the difference in the world to the kind of lives we live.  We do not need to walk in darkness.  Isaiah 9:2, 6 "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."