| Contributed by: Ann
Matt: 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matt. 19:29
29 And 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.
Quote 1
. . .
."Sacrifice is the crowning test of the gospel. It means giving to the Lord whatever
he requires of our time, our earthly possessions, and our energies to further his
work" (Gospel Principles, chapter 26).
Quote 2
"Let us here
observe, that 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. It was through this sacrifice,
and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life. …
"It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that
they are heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in
sacrifice, and by this means obtain faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain
eternal life, unless they, in like manner, offer unto him the same sacrifice, and through
that offering obtain the knowledge that they are accepted of him" (Lectures on
Faith, comp. N. B. Lundwall [Salt Lake City: N. B. Lundwall, n.d.], p. 58).
Quote 3
"We have
covenanted in the waters of baptism to love and serve [the Lord], to keep his
commandments, and to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom. In return he has
promised us eternal life in his Father’s kingdom. …
"The law of sacrifice is that we are willing to
sacrifice all that we have for the truth’s sake—our character and reputation;
our honor and applause; our good name among men; our houses, lands, and families: all
things, even our very lives if need be. …
"We are not always called upon to live the whole law of
consecration and give all of our time, talents, and means to the building up of the
Lord’s earthly kingdom. Few of us are called upon to sacrifice much of what we
possess, and at the moment there is only an occasional martyr in the cause of revealed
religion.
"But … we must be able to live these laws
to the full if we are called upon to do so" (Bruce R. McConkie, in Conference Report,
Apr. 1975, pp. 74-75; or Ensign, May 1975, p. 50).
Stories
Story 1
Elder Thomas S.
Monson of the Council of the Twelve told the following story about service and sacrifice:
"Jose Garcia [was] from Old Mexico. Born in poverty but
nurtured in faith, Jose prepared for a mission call. I was present the day his [mission]
recommendation was received. There appeared the statement: ‘Brother Garcia will serve
at great sacrifice to his family, for he is the means of much of the family support. He
has but one possession—a treasured stamp collection—which he is willing to sell,
if necessary, to help finance his mission.’
"President Kimball listened attentively as this
statement was read to him, and then he responded: ‘Have him sell his stamp
collection. Such sacrifice will be to him a blessing’ " (in Conference Report,
Oct. 1978, p. 83; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, p. 56).
Story 2
Sister Villafranca
lived in San Fernando, Mexico, far from a ward or branch. But she found a way to help
build the kingdom in her area. She asked a group of fifty people—thirty of them
investigators—to come to her small home to hear the missionaries teach the gospel.
The missionary who taught them told what happened:
"As I began the discussion, the room was expectantly
quiet. Every student listened with sincere interest. When I asked questions of the class,
it seemed as if they had memorized the answers beforehand, and I found myself becoming
more and more excited as it became apparent that I had not one golden contact, but a whole
room full of them. When it came time to ask if, after they had studied, prayed, and
listened to the rest of the discussions, they would be baptized, I was greeted with a
chorus of ‘Sí.’ …
"Now, six years later, there is a branch with almost
200 members in San Fernando. It is there because of the missionary efforts of one stalwart
sister who was not afraid to tell others about the gospel, and to do it with the faith
that precedes any miracle" (Glenn V. Bird, "Miracle at San Fernando," New
Era, Jan. 1977, pp. 28-29).
Story 3
Sister JoAnn Ottley,
wife of Jerold D. Ottley, conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, told the following
story:
"The Lord gave my husband and me special talents for
music. We have spent our entire lifetimes studying and developing these gifts. We have had
to make many decisions regarding their use. When we were in Europe studying, we realized
that we had an especially important and difficult decision to make. Both of us knew that
if we remained in Europe, we would have many opportunities for success. We wanted above
all, however, to do what the Lord wanted us to do. We desired to be obedient, but beyond
that we yearned to be used by the Lord in the building of his kingdom here on the earth.
"We repeatedly fasted and prayed for the direction of
the Spirit and to know the will of the Lord. Our answer came during a sacrament meeting at
the close of a fasting period. We had both received the same instructions by the
Spirit—that our work was at home. We were to return to the United States.
"There followed more months of study, preparation,
testing. Then the Lord made it possible for us to return to Salt Lake City. I became a
member of the Tabernacle Choir, and my husband joined the Music Department at the
University of Utah.
"A short time later, my husband was called by the First
Presidency of the Church to be the conductor of the Tabernacle Choir. The Lord had indeed
been preparing us for special service" (The Latter-day Saint Woman, Part B, p.
79).
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