Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that just as we make sure our children have the food and clothing they need, we also need to make sure they have what they need spiritually as well.  We need to teach them to walk in the ways of the Lord, keep His commandments, and to avoid fighting and quarreling with one another. We need to teach them to love and serve each other. And we ourselves need to serve as good examples. We need to give to those who stand in need, without standing in judgment against them. We need to remember all that God has given to us and be willing to freely give to others, as God has freely given to us.  Mosiah 4:14-23 "And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.  But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.  And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.  Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.  And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.  And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.  I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world."

In the Old Testament we read Job's testimony that he knows that his redeemer lives and even though his body will die and be eaten with worms, he will be resurrected and his flesh he will see God.  Job 19:25-26 "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:  And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:"

In some verses with a thought booklet we're command to love one another.  If we have this worlds goods and see that our brother is in need but we shut up our bowels of compassion from him, how can we say that the love of God dwells in us? We need to love not only in word, but also in deed.  It's not enough to tell people we love them, but we need to show t with our actions.  1 John 3:11, 17-18 "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."