Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that Alma and Amulek went forth to preach among the people.  But the people were hard hearted, stiff necked, and did not understand their words. The people tried to lay hands on him but could not, and Alma went forth with boldness in declaring the word of the Lord unto them and telling them that they had forgotten the commandments of God.  Alma 9:1-8 "And again, I, Alma, having been commanded of God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again unto this people, or the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass as I began to preach unto them, they began to contend with me, saying:  Who art thou? Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one man, although he should preach unto us that the earth should pass away? Now they understood not the words which they spake; for they knew not that the earth should pass away. And they said also: We will not believe thy words if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day.  Now they knew not that God could do such marvelous works, for they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people. And they said: Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things?  And they stood forth to lay their hands on me; but behold, they did not. And I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto them, saying:  Behold, O ye wicked and perverse generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea, how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God."

In the Old Testament we read that the people decided they wanted to go to Egypt to escape war and famine and pestilence, but the Lord commanded them not to go to Egypt and told them that if they disobeyed, all the things they were going to Egypt to escape would follow them there.  Sometimes we use our own judgment to do things that logically seem like a good idea.  But if those things have been forbidden by the Lord, they will not turn out well for us.  We need to obey what the Lord commands, even if we can't see the logic in it.  Jeremiah 42:13-22 "But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord your God,  Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:  And now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;  Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.  So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.  For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.  For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it. And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet remind us that all of us have different talents and skills that can be used to bless others and build up the Kingdom of God.  Just like different parts of the body have different uses but are all necessary, so are members of the church, all different but all necessary.  Just because we may not be good at preaching or singing doesn't mean the Lord hasn't blessed us with a special talent that is very needed.  One woman had a talent of being able to encourage others.  With a smile or a hug or a kind word, she could change the tone of another person's day. I've been given the gift of being able to type quickly, which I use to take notes in church meetings to distribute to homebound people who cannot attend. What special gift has God given you to bless the lives of others?  Romans 12:3-8 "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness."