We have an abundance of examples in scripture of acceptable offerings. One thing that seems clear to me is that the Lord individually and uniquely invites us. Our sacrifice must be from our hearts. Many times in scripture those offerings that are acceptable represented the broken heart and contrite spirit the Lord has asked of us.
A couple examples that show the heart involved and why it appears the Lord received the offering. First, the example of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. They had been a blood thirsty people but when they heard the word of God, they were so committed to the Lord that they would rather lay down their weapons of war and die by the sword of their enemies instead of fighting to protect themselves. The offering appears to be acceptable. One could rationalize that it’s more important to protect your families but they feared sinning more than death. They viewed this mortal existence with a proper perspective, a perspective that includes this mortal estate as a time to prepare to meet God with clean hands and a pure heart. An incredible fruit we saw from their sacrifice was the conversion of many other Lamanites who had shed their blood. In this case, God did not miraculously preserve their lives by fighting this physical battle for them, but rather, in His omniscience He allowed their deaths and their deaths were the impetus for the conversion of thousands more Lamanites as they realized the awful state to which they had fallen. They decided to repent and become one with the Anti-Nephi-Lehies in following God. They did not want to flirt with a murderous heart, a previous heart they had buried with their weapons of war.
Another example we find in scripture are the sons of these Anti-Nephi-Lehies. They offered the opposite sacrifice. They took up their weapons of war to defend their people from the armies of the Lamanites. It was the opposite outward, physical manifestation as their fathers, but the same manifestation in the heart and mind. God looks upon the heart and as the righteous judge rewarded them for their offering. One thing interesting is their fathers and themselves did not fear death. They feared offending God.
There are many, many more examples of acceptable offerings in scripture. As we seek to give our hearts to God that we might come to know Him, my witness is that the sacrifice will be from our hearts. It will be heart wrenching and the hard crust of irony, as Elder Maxwell described it, will be present.
One other quick thing to consider as we seek to offer up our whole souls to Him. My experience and what I see in scripture is the Lord loves to open doors and see what we will use our agency to do. As we get closer to Him, He becomes more of the observant parent, willing to help but less inclined to give a direct command of what that offering should be, otherwise it lessens the faith involved in the sacrifice. It kills growth. Those that arrive at this level of relationship with the Lord have more and more of the mind of God and it becomes a joy to Him and us as we use our agency to give Him our souls in bringing to pass much righteousness.
God is good, very good. He is a rewarder of those that love Him and offer up their whole souls as a sacrifice to Him. It is a heart wrenching path but at the same time it is a path of complete freedom and a deep peace that passeth all understanding. Receiving a new heart is wrenching because we are rooting out our old heart in order for Him to give us a new one, over and over again. I pray for you and me to stay on this path of discipleship, for it is the path to salvation.
Jesus Christ lives. Joseph Smith is a prophet, seer and revelator. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. The Lectures on Faith are milk and meat to the soul. I love my Redeemer and Father. How I pray for strength to always be true to Them, for Their path is the path of peace and love.
No comments:
Post a Comment