In the Book of Mormon we read that Mormon lamented the slaughter of his people. His soul was rent with anguish because this once fair people had departed from the ways of the Lord and rejected Jesus who stood with open arms to receive them. But they had refused to repent, and now they would have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Mormon 6:16-22 "And my soul was rent with anguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried: O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss. O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen! But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return. And the day soon cometh that your mortal must put on immortality, and these bodies which are now moldering in corruption must soon become incorruptible bodies; and then ye must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, to be judged according to your works; and if it so be that ye are righteous, then are ye blessed with your fathers who have gone before you. O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, knoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his justice and mercy."
In the Old Testament we read that the boy Samuel grew up in the Lord's service. His mother would visit him once a year and bring him robes that she had made for him. Eli blessed her that the Lord would replace the son she had given to the service of the Lord. She conceived and bore three more sons and two daughters. Often when we make sacrifices for the Lord, He and abundantly blesses us. When we pay our tithing, our money seems to stretch farther than it otherwise would have. When we take time to pray and read our scriptures, our days go better and we are happier. When we attend the temple, our lives are filled with more peace. When we sacrifice our time to give service, our lives are filled with more meaning. The Lord blesses those who are obedient. 1 Samuel 2:18-21 "But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord."
Some verses with a thought booklet tell the story of how Jesus healed ten lepers but only one of them came back to thank Him. A worried and weary daughter was praying for her mother who had just had cancer surgery and was now undergoing chemotherapy, and who was staying with her while going through this so the daughter could care for her. The daughter pleaded with the Lord to spare her mother's life and heal her from her cancer. But then she felt a prompting from the Spirit that she should thank the Lord, and pray a prayer of gratitude. This was difficult for her, but she tried to think of ten things to be grateful for. It took a while to come up with them, but she thought of how she'd been able to drive safely to and from the hospital on snowy roads, how her mother had gotten an encouraging call from a friend, how she herself had gotten a cheery email from another friend, how she'd had the energy to go shopping for groceries, the money to buy the groceries, a pot roast dinner that had tasted so delicious, her husband's offer to help with the dishes, the sunshine, her mother's optimistic attitude about her cancer treatments, and a warm house. Amazingly, she had come up with ten things to be thankful for and it felt good, really good! She started making this a daily practice. Some days it was easy to come up with the ten things; other days it was not. She started looking throughout the day for things to be thankful for, and when she finds something positive, she immediately gives a silent prayer of thanks. What ten blessings from yesterday can you thank the Lord for right now? Luke 17:11-19 "And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."
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In the Old Testament we read that the boy Samuel grew up in the Lord's service. His mother would visit him once a year and bring him robes that she had made for him. Eli blessed her that the Lord would replace the son she had given to the service of the Lord. She conceived and bore three more sons and two daughters. Often when we make sacrifices for the Lord, He and abundantly blesses us. When we pay our tithing, our money seems to stretch farther than it otherwise would have. When we take time to pray and read our scriptures, our days go better and we are happier. When we attend the temple, our lives are filled with more peace. When we sacrifice our time to give service, our lives are filled with more meaning. The Lord blesses those who are obedient. 1 Samuel 2:18-21 "But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord."
Some verses with a thought booklet tell the story of how Jesus healed ten lepers but only one of them came back to thank Him. A worried and weary daughter was praying for her mother who had just had cancer surgery and was now undergoing chemotherapy, and who was staying with her while going through this so the daughter could care for her. The daughter pleaded with the Lord to spare her mother's life and heal her from her cancer. But then she felt a prompting from the Spirit that she should thank the Lord, and pray a prayer of gratitude. This was difficult for her, but she tried to think of ten things to be grateful for. It took a while to come up with them, but she thought of how she'd been able to drive safely to and from the hospital on snowy roads, how her mother had gotten an encouraging call from a friend, how she herself had gotten a cheery email from another friend, how she'd had the energy to go shopping for groceries, the money to buy the groceries, a pot roast dinner that had tasted so delicious, her husband's offer to help with the dishes, the sunshine, her mother's optimistic attitude about her cancer treatments, and a warm house. Amazingly, she had come up with ten things to be thankful for and it felt good, really good! She started making this a daily practice. Some days it was easy to come up with the ten things; other days it was not. She started looking throughout the day for things to be thankful for, and when she finds something positive, she immediately gives a silent prayer of thanks. What ten blessings from yesterday can you thank the Lord for right now? Luke 17:11-19 "And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."
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