In the eternal perspective, the blessings obtained by sacrifice are greater than anything that is given up
Christ Sacrificed his life for us and he is our ultimate example; therefor, we should be willing to sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
Who do we Sacrifice for?
What do we Sacrifice?
When should we sacrifice?
Where does the Sacrifice begin?
Why should we Sacrifice?
How can understanding what it means to Sacrifice benefit you?
The dictionary defines Sacrifice as "the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim." Although this is an accurate definition; Sacrifice has a much deeper meaning. In ancient days, sacrifice meant to make something or someone holy. It has now come to mean to give up or suffer the loss of worldly things for the Lord and his kingdom. Members of the Lord’s Church should be willing to sacrifice all things for the Lord. Joseph Smith taught that “a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” In the eternal perspective, the blessings obtained by sacrifice are greater than anything that is given up.(the guide to the scriptures)
An example of a Sacrifice would be fasting. Fasting means "To voluntarily refrain from eating or drinking for the purpose of drawing closer to the Lord and requesting his blessings. When individuals and groups fast, they should also pray to understand God’s will and to develop greater spiritual strength. Fasting has always been practiced by true believers."
To me, Sacrificing is giving up something of value for something of greater worth.
We sacrifice to show Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ that we love them and to prove to them that the things we are asking for are true wants and desires of our hearts.
Sacrificing is something we do on a daily basis. We sacrifice "popularity" by choosing to follow Gods commandments. We sacrifice watching certain movies to keep our minds clean. We sacrifice friend time for family time. Our life is full of sacrifice.
OUR WILLINGNESS TO SACRIFICE IS AN INDICATION OF OUR DEVOTION TO GOD.
Here are some examples of sacrifices from members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from around the world:
A member of the Church in Germany saved his tithing for years until someone with priesthood authority could come and accept it.
A Relief Society visiting teacher served for 30 years without missing an assignment.
A group of Saints in South Africa rode for three days, standing up, to be able to hear and see the prophet of the Lord.
At an area conference in Mexico, members of the Church slept on the ground and fasted during the days of the conference. They had used all their money just to get to the conference and had nothing left for food and shelter.
One family sold their car to get the money they wanted to contribute to a temple building fund.
Another family sold their home to get money to go to the temple.
Many faithful Latter-day Saints have very little to live on, yet they pay their tithes and offerings.
One brother sacrificed his job because he refused to work on Sunday.
In one branch, the youth gave freely and willingly of their time to care for the young children while their parents helped build the meetinghouse.
Young men and women give up or postpone good job opportunities, education, or sports to serve as missionaries.
Many more examples could be given of those who sacrifice for the Lord. Yet a place in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom is worth any sacrifice we have to make of our time, talents, energy, money, and lives. Through sacrifice we can obtain a knowledge from the Lord that we are acceptable to Him (see D&C 97:8).
Only through sacrifice can we become worthy to live in the presence of God. Only through sacrifice can we enjoy eternal life. Many who have lived before us have sacrificed all they had. We must be willing to do the same if we would earn the rich reward they enjoy.
We may not be asked to sacrifice all things. But like Abraham, we should be willing to sacrifice everything to become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord.
The Lord’s people have always sacrificed greatly and in many different ways. Some have suffered hardship and ridicule for the gospel. Some new converts to the Church have been cut off from their families. Lifetime friends have turned away. Some members have lost their jobs; some have lost their lives. But the Lord notices our sacrifices; He promises, “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29).
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