Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read that the prideful and foolish who yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness instead of light will go down to hell. The Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with them.  2 Nephi 26:10-11 "And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell. For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction, and this grieveth my soul."

In the Old Testament we read that even if people sin, as we all do, if they'll turn to the Lord with all their hearts and repent, He will hear their cries and forgive them.  1 Kings 8:45-50 "Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.  If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;  Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;  And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:  Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,  And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:"

Some verses with a thought booklet tell us that when a person with scorn gets reproved, he becomes hateful.  But a wise man will love someone who corrects him and he becomes wiser still because he's willing to learn.  What is our attitude when someone corrects us?  Do we become angry and defensive or do we try to learn from what the other person is saying and appreciate their concern and their efforts to help us improve?  Proverbs 9:8-9 "Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read that the righteous who heed the words of the prophets and look forward to the coming of Christ would not be destroyed. Christ would appear to them and minister unto them.  2 Nephi 26:8-9 "But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution—behold, they are they which shall not perish.  But the Son of Righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness."

In the Old Testament we read that Solomon made all the vessels pertaining to the temple out of pure gold.  He used materials that his father David had gathered and dedicated for the building of the House of the Lord.  1 Kings 7:47-51 "And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.  And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,  And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,  And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.  So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the Lord. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the Lord."

Some verses with a thought booklet warn us not to judge others because we'll be judged in the same way we do others.  Often we ignore our own faults or don't notice them, but we magnify the faults of others all out of proportion. Only God can truly see into another person's heart and understand why they do what they do.  We don't have all the facts to make a fair judgment.  Ad it does damage o us when we make harsh judgments against other people.   Dallin H. Oaks said, "The primary reason we're commanded to avoid criticism is to preserve our own spiritual well-being, not to protect the person whom we would criticize." Matthew 7:1-5 "Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."   

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read about the great destruction which would come to the wicked before Christ would come. 2 Nephi 26:4-7 "Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble.  And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder.  And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts. O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are just."

In the Old Testament we read that when Solomon was building the temple, he had a baptismal font resting on the backs of twelve oxen, similar to the baptismal fonts we have in our temples today.  1 Kings 7:23-26 "And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.  And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.  It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.  And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths."

A scripture with a thought booklet tells us that we should seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and other things will be added unto us. Some examples of this are that if we pay our tithing first, our other bills seem to get paid.  And if we put God first in our lives, other aspects of our life seem to go better. There is no need to fill our lives with worry.  If we put God first and trust in Him, He will take care of us.  Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read about how after Christ would be resurrected, He would minister unto the Nephites and would speak words to them which would be the law that they should do. Many signs would be given of Christ's birth and resurrection. 2 Nephi 26:1-3 "And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you, my children, and my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall speak unto you shall be the law which ye shall do. For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people. And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them; wherefore the cry of the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them."

In the Old Testament we read that Somomon built a temple and the Lord promised him that if he and his people would be obedient, the Lord would dwell among Israel and not forsake them. 1 Kings 6:11-14 "And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. So Solomon built the house, and finished it."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet tell us why saying "The devil made me do it" is nonsense!  The devil can't make us do anything.  He can tempt us, but we can resist him by turning to the Lord and submitting to Him.  The devil wil flee from us as we resist him.  And as we draw near to the Lord, He will draw near to us. We need to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts and stop being double minded. With our minds and hearts single to God, we do not need to succumb to temptation.  James 4:7-8 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

-----------------------------------------------------

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read we look to Christ for the remission of our sins, and we talk and preach of Him so our children may know to look to Him for the remission of their sins. The law of Moses was given to prepare people for when Christ would come, but would be fulfilled in Him. If people deny Christ, they deny also the law and the prophets. The law was to be kept until it was fulfilled in Christ, who is to be worshiped with all our might, mind and strength.  2 Nephi 25:26-30 "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.  Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.  And now behold, my people, ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the prophets and the law.  And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.  And, inasmuch as it shall be expedient, ye must keep the performances and ordinances of God until the law shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses."

In the Old Testament we see an example of the wisdom of Solomon in being able to judge the people righteously.  Two women came to him arguing over which one was the mother of a baby.  Solomon suggested that he take a sword and divide the child in two and give half to each woman.  The real mother of the child begged him not to harm the child, but to give him to the other woman. So he was able to discern who the real mother was.  1 Kings 3:16-28 "Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.  And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.  And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.  And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.  And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.  And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.  Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.  And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment."

A verse with a thought booklet tells us to pray for one another.  The fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. If we're concerned about a friend or family member who is going through a difficult trial, we sometimes feel helpless, like there is noting we can do to help their situation.  But we are wrong.  We can pray.  And prayer does help! Even if it is not God's will to deliver us from our tribulations, He will see us through them and strengthen us so we can bear them. We can safely trust in God in good times and in bad. He is our refuge.  There is no situation or circumstance that can prevail against us when we have God on our side.   James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon I read about how they kept the law of Moses but looked forward with steadfastness unto Christ until the law would be fulfilled.  2 Nephi 25:24-25 " And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled. For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments."

In the Old Testament we read that Solomon was told that the Lord would give him anything he asked for. Instead of asking for wealth or a long life for himself, he asked for wisdom and understanding so that he could rule the people righteously.  Because of his unselfishness in his request, the Lord not only gave him the wisdom that he asked for but also the wealth and honor that he had not asked for.  Often the Lord works in this way.  When our hearts are unselfish in wanting to help others, the Lord blesses us.  1 Kings 3:5-14 "In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.  And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.  And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.  Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.  And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;  Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.  And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days."

A scripture with a thought booklet tells us that when we pray we should not use vain repetitions.  Do we get into the habit in our prayers of just saying the same things day after day to the point that we're not even paying attention to what we're saying?  Or do we pour out our hearts to God, thanking Him for things we're grateful for and petitioning Him for things we need?  Do we communicate heart to heart with our Father or just rattle off meaningless words we're not even listening to?  Prayer can be an empty ritual we unthinkingly do out of habit, or it can be our lifeline to our loving Heavenly Father. Matthew 6:7 "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

Daily Thoughts

In the Book of Mormon we read that the Lord promised Nephi that the things he had written would be preserved to come down to his seed and that the seed of Joseph would not perish as long as the earth would stand. Nephi labored diligently to write in order to persuade his children and brethren to believe in Christ and to be reconciled to God.  We are saved by grace, after all we can do. 2 Nephi 25:21-23 "Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand. Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations who shall possess them shall be judged of them according to the words which are written.  For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

In the Old Testament we read the advise David gave to Solomon as he turned over rulership to him. David was about to die so this was his final message to his son.  He charged Solomon to keep the commandments and walk in the ways of the Lord. Then David died and Solomon reigned in his stead.  1 Kings 2:1-4, 10, 12  "Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;  And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:  That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel. So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet warn us that when we give alms we should not loudly broadcast what we have done in order to get the praise of men. If we do this then the praise we've received will be our only reward.  We should do good in secret, and the Lord who sees will reward us openly. We need to examine our own hearts.  When we give to others or serve others, what is our motivation?  Is it because of the love we have and the desire to help. or do we just want other people to see how good we are and pat us on the back? It is possible to do the right things for the wrong reasons. Do we try to draw attention to ourselves so everyone will notice the good we do, or do we quietly go about serving the best we can?  Matthew 6:1-4 "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."