Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read about how evil Ahab was. In fact, he was more evil than all the kings before him, rearing up an altar for Baal, making groves, provoking the Lord to anger. 1 Kgs. 16: 30-33 "And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him."

In the Book of Mormon I read that the Lord will remember the covenants that He has made with His people. Indeed, we can know that even though men don't always keep their promises, the Lord does. Everything he has covenanted with us will be fulfilled in His own due time. 3 Ne. 20: 29 "And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us that Jesus is the door by which we enter to be saved. We cannot get into the Kingdom of God except through Jesus Christ. John 10: 9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read that Nadab and then Baasha reign in wickedness in Israel and Baasha destroys the house of Jeroboam. 1 Kgs. 15: 25-30, 33-34 "And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger. In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin."

In the Book of Mormon I read that after the Nephites were baptized, they were given the Holy Ghost, which filled them with fire. Then angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them. 3 Ne. 19: 13-14 "And it came to pass when they were all baptized and had come aup out of the water, the Holy Ghost did fall upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire. And behold, they were encircled about as if it were by fire; and it came down from heaven, and the multitude did witness it, and did bear record; and angels did come down out of heaven and did minister unto them."

A verse with a thought booklet says we need to be humble and esteem others before ourselves, avoid strife. Philip. 2: 3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read how Abijam reinged in wickedness, than Asa reigned in righteousness In Judah. Kgs. 15: 1, 3, 8, 11-14 "Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.3 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days."


In the Book of Mormon I read about how Jesus had compassion upon the Nephites and asked that all the sick and afflicted be brought to Him so He could heal them, just as He had healed people in Jerusalem. 3 Ne. 17: 6-10 "And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy. For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you. And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind , and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him. And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet talk about how we learn the word of God from our youth and when we are old, the Lord will not forsake us. We should teach what we have learned to the younger generation. Ps. 71: 17-18 "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come."

Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read about how the Lord again delivered Saul into David's hands but he refused to smite him. 1 Sam. 26: 8-9 "Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?"

In the Book of Mormon I read about how the Zoramites worshipped each week. They built a holy stand and one by one stood on it and loudly prayed, thanking God that they were elected to be saved while those around them were not, and thanking God that they were lot lead astray by foolish traditions such as a belief in Christ. When Alma saw the manner of their prayers he was greatly grieved at their wickedness. Alma 31: 12-31 "Now, when they had come into the land, behold, to their astonishment they found that the Zoramites had built synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which day they did call the day of the Lord; and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld; For they had a place built up in the center of their synagogue, a place for standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person. Therefore, whosoever desired to worship must go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and stretch forth his hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice, saying: Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever. Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ. But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen. Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure. For behold, every man did go forth and offer up these same prayers. Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand. Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about. Now, after the people had all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner. Now when Alma saw this his heart was grieved ; for he saw that they were a wicked and a perverse people; yea, he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods. Yea, and he also saw that their hearts were lifted up unto great boasting, in their pride. And he lifted up his voice to heaven, and cried , saying: O, how long, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that thy servants shall dwell here below in the flesh, to behold such gross wickedness among the children of men? Behold, O God, they acry unto thee, and yet their hearts are swallowed up in their pride. Behold, O God, they cry unto thee with their mouths, while they are puffed up, even to greatness, with the vain things of the world. Behold, O my God, their costly apparel, and their ringlets, and their bracelets , and their ornaments of gold, and all their precious things which they are ornamented with; and behold, their hearts are set upon them, and yet they cry unto thee and say—We thank thee, O God, for we are a chosen people unto thee, while others shall perish. Yea, and they say that thou hast made it known unto them that there shall be no Christ. O Lord God, how long wilt thou suffer that such wickedness and infidelity shall be among this people? O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities. For I am infirm, and such wickedness among this people doth pain my soul. O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people."

A verse from a thought booklet tells us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, according to the perfect will of God. The thought that went with this, written by Dr. Dean Deppe from Grand Rapids, Michigan, says: We all conform to something. Less than 1 percent of our thoughts are original. The media play a powerful role in shaping who we are and what we think we need. We often become what other people expect us to be. The apostle Paul coaches us not to conform to the world's pattern but to be transformed. Conforming to the world is like removing the screen door to our minds and letting all the bugs fly in. Transformation means refusing to comply with the evil influences of our culture, and instead conforming to the character of Christ. A psychologist I know attempted to get his client's attention with a dramatic demonstration. He filled a glass with water, added dust and lint from a corner, cigarette butts from an ash try, a dried piece of gum from under the table, and then asked the client to drink it. Of course the client refused. Then the doctor pointed out how the client was constantly polluting her mind through the worldly influences she allowed into her brain. As you ask Christ to dwell in you richly, you can expect joy beyond limits, peace that passes understanding, hope that overcomes despair, and love that allows you to care for people whom you once ignored. Today, begin to live out the character of your Lord. Rom. 12: 2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read that when Abigail finally told her husband what she had done in bringing food to David that his heart died within him and he became like a stone. Ten days later he died. When David heard that Nabal had died, he rejoiced that the Lord had punished the wicked Nabal. He then sent for Abigail to become his wife. 1 Sam. 25: 36-39 "And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died. And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife."

In the Book of Mormon I read about how Korihor continued to demand a sign before he would believe that there was a God so the sign he was given was that he was struck dumb. He then wrote that he always really knew that there was a God but he'd listened to the devil who had taught him what to preach--things that appealed to the carnal mind. He begged Alma to pray unto the Lore to remove the curse from him and allow him to speak again, but Alma replied that if he did that, Korihor would just go back to his old ways and preach false doctrines once again. Korihor than went begging for his food from house to house and was eventually trampled to death. And from this we see that those who pervert the ways of the Lord come to sad ends and that the devil does not support his followers but speedily drags them down to hell. Alma 30: 48-60 "Now Korihor said unto him: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe. Now Alma said unto him: This will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance. Now when Alma had said these words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma. And now when the chief judge saw this, he put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou convinced of the power of God? In whom did ye desire that Alma should show forth his sign? Would ye that he should afflict others, to show unto thee a sign? Behold, he has showed unto you a sign; and now will ye dispute more? And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God. But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me. Now when he had said this, he besought that Alma should pray unto God, that the curse might be taken from him. But Alma said unto him: If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee even as the Lord will. And it came to pass that the curse was not taken off of Korihor; but he was cast out, and went about from house to house begging for his food. Now the knowledge of what had happened unto Korihor was immediately published throughout all the land; yea, the proclamation was sent forth by the chief judge to all the people in the land, declaring unto those who had believed in the words of Korihor that they must speedily repent, lest the same judgments would come unto them. And it came to pass that they were all convinced of the wickedness of Korihor; therefore they were all converted again unto the Lord; and this put an end to the iniquity after the manner of Korihor. And Korihor did go about from house to house, begging food for his support. And it came to pass that as he went forth among the people, yea, among a people who had separated themselves from the Nephites and called themselves Zoramites , being led by a man whose name was Zoram—and as he went forth amongst them, behold, he was run upon and trodden down, even until he was dead. And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell."

Some verses with a thought booklet tell about how Jeremiah was told to go to the potter's house where the Lord helped him see how we are like the potter's clay and the Lord is like the potter. We need to be willing to be molded into a useful vessel that is what the Lord would want us to be. Jer. 18: 1-6 "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."
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Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read that David decided to take Abigail's advice and not shed the blood of her husband Nabal and his household. He thanked her for coming to him. 1 Sam. 25: 32-35 "And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person."

In the Book of Mormon I read about how Korihor wanted to be given a sign that there is a God before he would believe. But Alma pointed out to him that he already had plenty of signs. The earth and all things on it testify that there is a God. When we look at all the things that God has created, they witness that there is a Surpreme Creator. Alma 30:43-44 "And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign , that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words. But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us that if we truly believe in God, we won't be ashamed. If we're with worldy people who state views contrary to the teachings of the gospel do we just remain silent because we're embarassed to express our beliefs? We should not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Rom. 10: 11 "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

Daily Thoughts

Yesterday we read about how Nabal refused to give food to David. This made David angry and he was going to come to kill him. Nabal's wife was a good woman and when she found out about this she took much food and went out to meet David, begging him not to harm her husband. 1 Sam. 25: 17-20, 23-28 "Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him. Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down aby the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them. And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days."

In the Book of Mormon I read about Korihor, an anti Christ, who began preaching in the land. He said we cannot know of things to come and people who believe that they can have their sins remitted have frenzied minds and are deranged. He told the people that there could be no atonement made for their sins and that no matter what they did, it was no crime. He lead them away into wickedness and told them that when they died, that was the end. How similar are these teachings to what some people are saying today? Alma 30: 6, 12-18 "But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla, and he was Anti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ. And this Anti-Christ, whose name was Korihor, (and the law could have no hold upon him) began to preach unto the people that there should be no Christ. And after this manner did he preach, saying: O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come. Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers. How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ. Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so. And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime. And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms—telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us that if we repent, the Lord will not remember our sins and iniquities anymore. What a wonderful promise this is! Heb. 10: 17 "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."