Sacrifice

These are the notes I have been taking in my Gospel study this week. I know there is a lot here. It is mainly for me. I just thought I would put it on here if anyone needed some great references on sacrifice.

Feb. 21, 2010
Craig Merrill has asked me to help with part of his lesson next Sunday and the topic is sacrifice.

Just having thought about it for a little bit, here are some of my beginning impressions:

At the heart of sacrifice is trust. If we are sacrificing something in a gospel sense, we need to trust that Heavenly Father is going to sanctify that sacrifice.

According to Stories from General Conference at the mormon channel, the most important sacrifice we can offer to God is a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Feb. 22, 2010
This scripture was in the class study guide:
•

3 Ne. 9: 19-20
19 And ye shall offer up unto me ano more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.
20 And ye shall offer for a asacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I bbaptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

When I read this, it makes me think that we should be as diligent about offering our broken heart and contrite spirit as the people in the OT were about offering up their blood sacrifices.

What is a broken heart and a contrite spirit? I think it means that we offer our will and we continually give up our sins. It also makes me wonder how that is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Son of God. Jesus said He came into the world to do the will of the Father. Maybe offering a broken heart and a contrite spirit means that we don’t let the sacrifice of the Son be in vain, but that we continually repent and partake of the sacrament and remember Jesus. Does it mean to take advantage of the atonement?

But how is doing that a sacrifice? It makes me think of the scripture where it says, “I will give away all my sins to know thee.”
Here is the reference I am thinking of:

1. Alma 22: 18
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.

Also, it would be helpful here to also mention another definition of broken. Broken can also mean a horse that is broken. I guess that is another way to say “submit up your will to do the will of the Father” or to I looked up the word “broken” in the dictionary and I can’t really find that meaning. Jesus said all the time that He came to earth to do the will of His Father.


Feb. 23

Joseph Smith taught:

"a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things."

(Lectures on Faith, 6th lecture, paragraph 7)


Hartman Rector Jr., “Following Christ to Victory,” Ensign, May 1979, 29

3. Make the sacrifice. There is no such thing as “something for nothing” with the Lord. Blessings come because of obedience to the law upon which they are predicated (see D&C 130:21). The Lord requires sacrifice, meaning something above and beyond the minimum. The Master spoke of the “second mile” and told us to go there (see Matt. 5:41). Why? Because he wants to bless us. So he put all the blessings in the second mile, but we must go where they are before we get them.
The first mile, we owe; that’s what we are getting paid for. Recently I mentioned that to an elder who was hardly meeting the minimums. He responded, “Paid? I’m not getting paid.”
I said, “Oh? You can breathe can’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You think you have that coming to you or something? King Benjamin says the Lord is preserving you from day to day by granting you breath—even supporting you from moment to moment” (see Mosiah 2:21). Do we ever thank the Lord for the fact we can breathe? No, not usually, until we get to where we can’t breathe. Then we call upon him in a panic.
Another definition of sacrifice is that instead of endlessly doing what we want to do, we must do what the Lord wants us to do. Knowing that it is “sacrifice [that] brings forth the blessings of heaven” (Hymns, no. 147), then we should cheerfully do all things that lie in our power to bring to pass the Lord’s work, even to “wast[ing] and wear[ing] out our lives” if that be necessary (D&C 123:13). Then we may “stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:17).

Quentin L. Cook, “Are You a Latter-day Saint?,” NewEra, Dec 2009, 2–5

Separation from the evils of the world needs to be accompanied by holiness. A Saint loves the Savior and follows Him in holiness and devotion. Evidence of this kind of holiness and devotion is exemplified by consecration and sacrifice. Sacrifice is the crowning test of the gospel. It means consecrating time, talents, energy, and earthly possessions to further the work of God. In Doctrine and Covenants 97, verse 8, it concludes, “All … who … are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.”
Saints who respond to the Savior’s message will not be led astray by distracting and destructive pursuits and will be prepared to make appropriate sacrifices. The importance of sacrifice to those who want to be Saints is exemplified by the atoning sacrifice of the Savior, which is at the center of the gospel (see Alma 34:8–16).

**From my study and thinking, here are some words that are related to sacrifice:
trust, faith, obedience, broken heart and a contrite spirit, unselfish, submitting your will, giving up your sins, sacrament, repentance, love, deny yourself of all ungodliness, devotion

M. Russell Ballard, “The Blessings of Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 1992, 75

The degree of our love for the Lord, for the gospel, and for our fellowman can be measured by what we are willing to sacrifice for them.

Ezra Taft Benson, “This Is a Day of Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 1979, 32

My beloved brethren and sisters, humbly and gratefully I approach this sacred assignment with a prayer in my heart that what I say will strengthen our resolve to live the principle of sacrifice as a prerequisite to a godly life, for this is a day of sacrifice.
The Lord said in September 1831, “Now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice … of my people” (D&C 64:23; italics added).

I am in complete accord with this statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith:
“It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those … who have offered their all in sacrifice … unless they, in like manner, offer unto him the same sacrifice (Lectures on Faith, 6:8; italics added).

It is a willingness to forgo personal bad habits such as tobacco, alcohol, profanity, an unruly temper, and immorality—habits which cause us, the children of God, to be less than our destiny.

Elder M. Russell Ballard has taught that “the word sacrifice means literally ‘to make sacred,’ or ‘to render sacred’ ” (“The Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, 8; Liahona, Mar. 2002, 13).



Feb. 25

I thought I would turn to the new Gospel Principles manual to see what it had to say about sacrifice. This is the first paragraph:

Chapter 26: Sacrifice,” Gospel Principles, (2009),149–54

“Sacrifice means giving to the Lord whatever He requires of our time, our earthly possessions, and our energies to further His work.

The Lord commanded, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

Our willingness to sacrifice is an indication of our devotion to God.

People have always been tried and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives.”

So sacrifice measures our devotion to God.

I was wondering about the connection between the words sacrament and sacrifice and found this article by M. Russell Ballard that shows how they are similar:
M. Russell Ballard, “The Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct 1998, 7

As we contemplate the replacing of animal sacrifice with the sacrament, we cannot help but notice a strong relationship between the two. Both sacrifice and sacrament:
• Are affected by a person’s attitude and worthiness (see Amos 5:6–7, 9–10, 21–22; 3 Ne. 18:27–29; Moro. 7:6–7).
• Were designed to be performed by priests officiating in the Aaronic Priesthood (see D&C 13:1; D&C 20:46).
• Focus on Christ (see Luke 22:19–20; Alma 34:13–14).
• Use emblems that represent Christ’s flesh and blood (see Luke 22:19–20; Moses 5:6–7).
• Provide a means whereby one can make and renew covenants with God (see Lev. 22:21; D&C 20:77, 79).
• Are performed regularly on the Sabbath as well as on other special occasions (see Lev. 23:15; D&C 59:9–13).
• Are associated with meals that symbolically represent the Atonement (see Matt. 26:26; Lev. 7:16–18).
• Are the only saving ordinances in which members participate for themselves more than once.
• Provide an important step in the process of repentance (see Lev. 19:22; 3 Ne. 18:11; Moses 5:7–8).

This is such a great talk, I want to include the link so I can refer to it again:
Elder Ballard's talk on "The Law of Sacrifice"

Listen to the language of the scriptures as they describe the level of sacrifice the Lord requires of us: “Offer your whole souls as an offering unto [God]” (Omni 1:26; see also Mosiah 2:24). “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Rom. 12:1). The Lord Himself has said that we should keep our “covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command” (D&C 97:8). The sacrifice the Lord asks of us is to wholly rid ourselves of the “natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) and all the ungodliness associated with it. When we completely surrender ourselves to the Lord, then He will cause a mighty change in us and we will become a new person, justified, sanctified, and born again with His image in our countenances (see Mosiah 5:2; Alma 5:14; Moses 6:59–60)

"Stand"

I am toying with using the word "stand" as our Young Women Camp. At first I was thinking of "Stand in Holy Places" but then I have gravitated toward "taking a stand" or "standing for something" or "standing as a witnesss". I have been looking at the word "stand" and reflecting on the meaning of the word in a gospel sense. I don't know what the camp theme will evolve into yet. I need to wait and see what the stake is going to do, but I have still learned a lot from thinking about this.


I want to use this as a place to gather stories and examples I have found of people, particularly youth, who have taken a stand.

I love the thought- I don't know where it comes from- that says "Be someone's example and not their excuse."

Here is a quote from Pres. Monson on this very subject:

"You will need [courage] to be chaste and virtuous. You live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround you. Many are the voices telling you that you are far too provincial or that there is something wrong with you if you still believe there is such a thing as immoral behavior."Isaiah declared, 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness' (Isaiah 5:20)."Great courage will be required as you remain chaste and virtuous amid the accepted thinking of the times."

Thomas S. Monson, "May You Have Courage," Ensign, May 2009, 125

I have been looking for this talk for a long time and here it is so I won't lose it again: Elaine S. Dalton ,May 2008 Ensign
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=d4d4558fcc599110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Here is the story in particular that I was trying to find:

A young man I know well was elected to be the student body president at a large university. The university sent him to a leadership seminar where student leaders from across the United States gathered in Chicago, Illinois, to be trained and educated. They participated in an initial game outdoors on the college campus so that they could become acquainted with each other. The students were presented with current issues facing today’s youth and were asked to take a position. In response to the issue presented, they were directed to run to several trees in the grassy area marked “strongly agree,” “partially agree,” “strongly disagree,” or “mildly disagree.”

Toward the end of this exercise, the leader asked, “Do you believe in premarital sex?” Without hesitation, this young man ran to the tree marked “strongly disagree.” To his amazement, he was the only one there! All the other student leaders were laughing and pointing at him and saying, “Oh, Jess, you are so funny. We all know you’re not really serious.” At that moment Jess said he knew exactly what he must do and so he loudly declared, “I’m not funny. I’m serious!” There was a stunned silence, and then the group dispersed, leaving Jess standing alone by the tree. He felt out of place and, yes, weird. But he wasn’t weird. He was right. And he was not alone. During the week, many of the student leaders came to him privately and said that they wished they had known years earlier what he knew. Jess later said, “It was easy because I knew that I represented not only the university but my family, the Church, and the Savior.”

This is a talk on Moral Discipline by Elder D. Todd Christopherson: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-34,00.html

This is the story I was thinking of:

During World War II, President James E. Faust, then a young enlisted man in the United States Army, applied for officer candidate school. He appeared before a board of inquiry composed of what he described as “hard-bitten career soldier[s].” After a while their questions turned to matters of religion. The final questions were these:

“In times of war should not the moral code be relaxed? Does not the stress of battle justify men in doing things that they would not do when at home under normal situations?”

President Faust relates:

“I recognized that here was a chance perhaps to make some points and look broad-minded. I knew perfectly well that the men who were asking me this question did not live by the standards that I had been taught. The thought flashed through my mind that perhaps I could say that I had my own beliefs but did not wish to impose them on others. But there seemed to flash before my mind the faces of the many people to whom I had taught the law of chastity as a missionary. In the end I simply said, ‘I do not believe there is a double standard of morality.’

“I left the hearing resigned to the fact that [they] would not like the answers I had given . . . and would surely score me very low. A few days later when the scores were posted, to my astonishment I had passed. I was in the first group taken for officer’s candidate school! . . .

“This was one of the critical crossroads of my life.”


How about contrast Torah Bright- the Australian snowboarder who just won gold at the Winter Olympics and who also happens to be LDS with the other Olympics stars that appeared in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/clean-living-mormon-star-torah-bright-is-a-sponsors-dream/story-e6frg7mf-1225832366783

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Sport/Questions-for-Torah-Bright/2005/05/22/1116700581606.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/sports/olympics/25bright.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010_swimsuit/winter/

Here is a story from the Ensign a few years back titled "What About Abstinence?"

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=ed3d196b5a1eb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Talk by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson:
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=d3968b5c1dbdb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

What the prophets have said about chastity and virtue:
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=e923605ff590c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Here is the story of Joseph getting away from Potiphar's wife:
Genesis 39:7–12.

Another example of standing for virtue is the experience we had with Courtney and a movie that was shown in her English class that had a totally inappropriate scene. Kevin and I felt strongly that we needed to go talk to the administration. Kevin ended going up and found out that there had been many other phone calls and visits. It is good to know that other people want to stand for virtue too.

The theme for YM/YW this year is Joshua 1:9
...Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

I love this scripture and have read it many times this last year and it really gave me strength.

The YW presidency in my ward wants to use the theme throughout this year of "putting on the whole armour of God" and I think it is interesting that the scripture just before talking about the amour, it says, "Stand therefore,..."
Sis. Dalton, the general YW president has been calling for a return to virtue. The theme for YW Camp was VIP: Virtue is Power and we have been told that virtue will continue to be a theme.

So, in a way, "STAND" is a combination of all these things, in my opinion.

I want to use this post as a place to put all my thoughts, stories, etc. about "stand". I want to collect stories that have to do with someone taking a stand or being a good example for someone.

For example, today at church I was thinking about singing in the choir. I love to sing alto. Especially when I am just learning a part, I love to sit by someone who knows the part well. If the person next to me sings the part, then I can sing it too. This can be applied to the Gospel too. If someone is having a hard time with a certain temptation, if someone with them takes a stand and withstands the temptation, it is easier for the other person to withstand the temptation too.

Follow the prophet

This morning I am thinking of 2 specific experiences where I followed some specific counsel from General Conference and was blessed for it.

The first is Pres. Monson's counsel to ask ourselves "What have I done for someone today?" It is such a simple thing to do, but really is inspired. We all do nice things for someone each day but I think it is important to actually answer the question each day. It is such a good way each day to think about others if only for a small moment. And it is truly doing what the Savior would do if He were here. In a tiny way each day we can be like Jesus just for a moment. If we do it every day, the impact on our souls would be huge. Plus, I was just thinking if every person on the earth followed this simple counsel from the prophet, what a different place it would be. Is this how the people in the city of Enoch started? It could very well be. They had to start somewhere. Selfishness is such a major problem in our world now.

I want to relate an experience I had from this counsel a few weeks ago. I made a sheet for each of my family members and challenged them to follow this counsel and write in their journal every day something they did for someone. I even told them I would pay them if they did it for a year. Well, none of the kids really took me up on it, except for Abby. She started getting excited about writing in her journal every day about something nice she had done for someone. A few weeks ago we were getting ready for the day and she wanted to go up to school with me. She was rushing around making her lunch so that she could come with me. Then I saw a little light go off in Abby's face. She started making another lunch. It was for me. She even added a little note. "Dear Mom, What have you done for someone today? Love, Abby". This may seem like a little thing but it really had an impact on me. People do kind things for me all the time but I don't have the words to describe how it affected me. It really changed my attitude for the day. When I look at the effect of this small act of kindness on me, it helps me to remember how someone else might feel if we go out of their way. There was a man in our ward a few years ago. His name is Jim Nelson. He would go out of his way to make specific kind remarks to people. It was always fun to see him coming your way, knowing he was going to have something kind and sincere to say to you.

I believe so strongly that this is inspired counsel from Pres. Thomas S. Monson that can have a monumental impact on us and those around us if we will make a conscious effort to do this.

The other counsel was from Elder Richard C. Scott. He spoke of writing down impressions and how if we do this, sometimes more inspiration will come. This happened to me last week. Kevin and I went with Courtney to get her patriarchal blessing. We were so thrilled to have this opportunity. There was such a great spirit there. But the greater spiritual experience for me came after I came home and wrote down everything I could remember from what Patriarch Macdonald said to her. It was like Heavenly Father wanted me to realize the importance of writing things down.

Follow the prophet. He knows the way.

These men truly are inspired. Look at their counsel. Are they telling us to do anything that is self-serving for them? No, everything they tell us to do is to help us be closer to our Heavenly Father and become more like our Saviour. I am thankful for their service to us.

Old Testament Study Resources

In my scripture study this morning, I was reading some things online and came across the new LDS website for our youth. https://beta.lds.org/youth?locale=eng It is a great resource. Take a look at the bottom right corner. It has a lot of good links.

As I looked around further, I saw that there were resources for scripture and gospel study. I found a good Old Testament study guide that is different from the Institute one. It is for Seminary. I wish I would have found it earlier. It is a great resource for anyone, not just youth. Check it out. http://seminary.lds.org/old-testament/index.asp