Day 141 Today's reading: Alma 3:20-4:4

Question of the day: What changed in the land as a result of the wars with the Amlicites and Lamanites?

The people were humbled. They believed that what was happening was the judgements of God. It reminds us that there were many people in the land not just one or two small groups as I always thought. 

I had this strange thought as the passaged reviewed the conversion and subsequent baptism of the people. Those that were converted were baptized in the 'waters of Sidon'; Isn't that where the bodies of the dead were thrown in the battles?

D&C 53: An assignment or responsibility is taken from person and given to another because of transgression. I wonder if there has ever been a role or expected role that I have forfeit because of transgression in my life?

Day 89 Today's reading: Jarom 1:1-15

Question of the day: How can we stay out of the pride cycle, even when we are prosperous?

I read the question before reading and the thought that has been in my mind has been this: It is not so much a matter of staying out of the pride cycle as much as it is to recognize our place in the cycle. Once we have recognized our place in the cycle we plan to change it from a downward spiral to an upward spiral. 

With very little trouble I found this, and I believe it is true. Something even that if we practice daily we keep ourselves as individual away from pride:

Image from Jennysmith.net

For our part the effort is around Remembering God (pray always; faith in Jesus), be humble, repent, and be obedient to the commandments. These lead to righteousness, and God blesses us. We let those blessings lead to remembering our Heavenly Father and his Son, and not becoming selfish, and prideful. Not easy to do. 

Day 8: Today's reading: 1 Nephi 7:1-15

Question of the day: Why do you think it is so important to have a soft heart?

Soft hearts help us to remember the great blessings of the Lord, they help us to recognize the blessings that are available in the situation that we are in. Soft hearts allow us to receive the blessings of the Lord. Nephi had a soft heart. He could see and remember the great blessings of the Lord. What a good example. And he saw the responsibility that was his to help the others understand how the Lord had helped and led them.

Day 352 Today's reading: Ether 12:22-41

Question of the day: Why do you think it is important for us to recognize our weaknesses? Why do you think we need to be meek in order to overlook the weaknesses of others?

One of the first thoughts that occurs to me is that humility turns our hearts to God as we see how dependent we are on Him. Moroni and Ether both saw their weaknesses and it turned them to God, so weakness is one of those things that helps us to have humility. If we recognize our weakness we can see God's power, and we will love Him better for it.

I'm impressed by the idea that Moroni is concerned with his weakness in writing. What is it that he sees in his writing that is so disappointing? Also, what is it that he sees in the writing of others that he admires so much. Certainly all of the prophets and even Jesus proclaim the mastery of Isaiah's writing. Is this what Moroni is comparing himself to? He only mentions the writing of the Brother of Jared. Do we know first hand what the Brother of Jared wrote? It is hard for me to tell the difference between what he wrote and what Moroni would have summarized.