Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that the faithful are strengthened by the Lord and will not be beaten down by the storms of life. We need to give thanks and praise to God.  Alma 26: 5-8 "Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted. Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.  But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day.  Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever."

In the Old Testament I read that at the Second Coming of Christ, the proud and wicked will be burned as stubble, but to those who reverence the Lord, He will arise with healing in His wings. We don't know when Christ will come again, but we need to be prepared by keeping His commandments and making sure we won't be among those who are burned. The time to repent is now.  Malachi 4:1-2 "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

Some verses with a thought booklet might give some insight into why bad things sometimes happen to us.  They say that before I was afflicted, I went astray but now I obey Thy word.  And it was good that I was afflicted because it helped me learn Thy commandments. Sometimes it takes us going through trials and tribulations in order to humble us and get us to turn to the Lord. If all is going well in our lives, it can be easier to forget God and not be mindful how much we need Him in our lives.  But once things start going wrong, we are forced to turn to Him because we have no where else to go for help. God is always good and wants good for us. But sometimes by allowing us to suffer, He is able to correct us and refine us and prepare us so we can dwell with Him for eternity.  Psalms 119:67, 71 "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes."

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read how grateful Ammon was for the great blessings the Lord had bestowed on him and his brethren. The Lamanites had been in darkness, but now many of them had been converted and brought to the light of God.  And Ammon was grateful that he and his brethren had been able to be instruments in the hands of God to help bring this to pass.  Alma 26:1-4 "And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?  And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?  Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.  Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God."

In the Old Testament we read some familiar verses about paying tithing.  If we don't pay it we are robbing God and will be cursed with a curse.  If we do pay it, the Lord will open the windows of heaven for it, that we'll receive so many blessings there won't be room enough to receive them.  I have found this to be so true in my ow life.  As long as I pay my tithing, I always seem to have enough money for what I need, and miracles seem to occur to make sure that I do.  Malachi 3:8-11 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.  Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us that unless the law of the Lord is our delight, we can perish in affliction. Did you know that it says nine times in the Book of Psalms that the word of the Lord is a delight? Do we think of it that way, and actually delight in it? Actually having faith in the Lord can bring us great joy and help us get through any difficulties that come our way. And that, indeed, is a delight!   Psalms 119:92 "Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction."

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that many Lamanites are converted and join the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.  They believe in Christ and keep the Law of Moses.   Alma 25: 13-17 " And it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites they returned again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. And they did also bury their weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes.  Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them.  Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come.  And now behold, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brethren did rejoice exceedingly, for the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord had granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular."

In the Old Testament we read that if we will not give glory to the name of the Lord and we refuse to listen to Him or that His words to heart, we will be cursed instead of blessed. Malachi 2:2 "If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us that the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.  1 Corinthians 3:19 "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."

from: Wilbur Little

Hi! http://no-fire.ru/certain.php How are you? You can read about it in the new Oprah's book. Wilbur Little Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that Lamanite aggressions spread and the seed of the priests of Noah were killed, just as Abinadi had prophesied. Many Lamanites were killed because of their belief.  Alma 25:1-12 "And behold, now it came to pass that those Lamanites were more angry because they had slain their brethren; therefore they swore vengeance upon the Nephites; and they did no more attempt to slay the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi at that time. But they took their armies and went over into the borders of the land of Zarahemla, and fell upon the people who were in the land of Ammonihah and destroyed them.  And after that, they had many battles with the Nephites, in the which they were driven and slain.  And among the Lamanites who were slain were almost all the seed of Amulon and his brethren, who were the priests of Noah, and they were slain by the hands of the Nephites;  And the remainder, having fled into the east wilderness, and having usurped the power and authority over the Lamanites, caused that many of the Lamanites should perish by fire because of their belief—  For many of them, after having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, began to be stirred up in remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in their land; therefore they began to disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them converted in the wilderness.  And it came to pass that those rulers who were the remnant of the children of Amulon caused that they should be put to death, yea, all those that believed in these things.  Now this martyrdom caused that many of their brethren should be stirred up to anger; and there began to be contention in the wilderness; and the Lamanites began to hunt the seed of Amulon and his brethren and began to slay them; and they fled into the east wilderness.  And behold they are hunted at this day by the Lamanites. Thus the words of Abinadi were brought to pass, which he said concerning the seed of the priests who caused that he should suffer death by fire.  For he said unto them: What ye shall do unto me shall be a type of things to come.  And now Abinadi was the first that suffered death by fire because of his belief in God; now this is what he meant, that many should suffer death by fire, according as he had suffered. And he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; and now behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and they were smitten."

In the Old Testament we read that when Christ comes again, the Jews will ask Him what are the wounds in his hands. He'll tell them that He was wounded in the house of His friends.  Zechariah 13:6 "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."

A verse with a thought booklet warns us to avoid even the appearance of evil.  A couple's car was wrecked in an accident and they needed to find a replacement.  They were looking at cars in a parking lot to get an idea of what they wanted.  They looked through some of the windows to see what the seats and controls were like in the various vehicles.  Pretty soon a security guard confronted them, saying that several people had reported "suspicious activity" on their part. They weren't actually guilty of trying to steal any cars, but they sure looked like it. We need to be mindful that others may be watching our actions and we need to remain above reproach.  1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil."

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from their swords, but prayed to God while they were being slain, their hearts were softened and they began to repent of what they had done. More people were converted than had been slain. However, none of the Amalekites or Amulonites were converted.  Those who had once been enlightened by the Spirit of God and had had great knowledge of things of the Spirit who had fallen away into sin and transgression became more hardened than those who had never known those things.   Alma 24:23-30 "Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the sword, neither would they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but that they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword—  Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.  And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them. And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved.  And there was not a wicked man slain among them; but there were more than a thousand brought to the knowledge of the truth; thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people.  Now the greatest number of those of the Lamanites who slew so many of their brethren were Amalekites and Amulonites, the greatest number of whom were after the order of the Nehors.  Now, among those who joined the people of the Lord, there were none who were Amalekites or Amulonites, or who were of the order of Nehor, but they were actual descendants of Laman and Lemuel.  And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things."

In the Old Testament we read that we should all speak the truth to our neighbors, and we should execute the judgment of truth and peace and not allow evil in our hearts.  Zechariah 8:16-17 "These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us that the Lord is our strength and our might and we can trust in Him and not be afraid; He is our salvation.  Isaiah 12:2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation."

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that the Lamanites who had been converted were firm in their faith, being willing to suffer death rather than commit sin. When their enemies came upon them they went out to meet them. prostrated themselves to the earth, and called upon the Lord as they were being killed. A thousand and five of them were killed in this manner, without meeting any resistance.  Alma 24:19-22 "And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace.  And it came to pass that their brethren, the Lamanites, made preparations for war, and came up to the land of Nephi for the purpose of destroying the king, and to place another in his stead, and also of destroying the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi out of the land. Now when the people saw that they were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword.  And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God."

In the Old Testament we read that the Lord, through His prophet Zechariah, commanded the people to show mercy and compassion on others, and to live godly lives.  But they didn't want to hear any of this.  They stuck their fingers in their ears so they wouldn't need to listen, and they hardened their hearts against he word of the Lord.  This brought on the wrath of the Lord and because they refused to listen to Him, H would not listen to them, and He scattered them and made their land desolate.  Zechariah 7:8-14 "And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:  And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts:  But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet go along with this, instructing us to preach the word of the Lord and exhort people with all long suffering, even though many of them will reject what we have to say, turn their ears away from the truth, and prefer to believe falsehoods.  But we need to endure these afflictions and fulfill our ministry.  2 Timothy 4:2-5 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."