Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that Alma returned from the land of Gideon, having established the church there. He returned to his home in Zarahemla. He then traveled to the land of Melek. Alma 8:1-3 "And now it came to pass that Alma returned from the land of Gideon, after having taught the people of Gideon many things which cannot be written, having established the order of the church, according as he had before done in the land of Zarahemla, yea, he returned to his own house at Zarahemla to rest himself from the labors which he had performed.  And thus ended the ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.  And it came to pass in the commencement of the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma departed from thence and took his journey over into the land of Melek, on the west of the river Sidon, on the west by the borders of the wilderness."

In the Old Testament we read that the Lord would send famine, pestilence and the sword upon the people because they refused to hearken to His words, or the words of His servants the prophets that He had sent.  Jeremiah 29:17-19 "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:  Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord."

In some scriptures with a thought booklet we're told that we were made in the image of God, and when God saw everything that He had made, He declared it t be "very good." What do you see wen you look in the mirror?  Wrinkles, gray hair, blemishes, a nose that's too big, a body that weighs too much? Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are created in the image of God and that He declared His creations very good!  Perhaps it's difficult to believe that we are a special and beloved child of God, but we are.  He values us.  And instead of grumbling about imperfections we see in our bodies, let's be grateful for them! Genesis 1:26, 31 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

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