Lynda:
Blessings of Sacrifice
I have been asked to talk on the blessings of sacrifice. What a humbling experience to prepare enough that the Spirit will edify you during this sacred time just after partaking of the Sacrament.
As you know, the law of sacrifices was instituted after Adam & Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden. President Joseph F. Smith explained: “The Lord designed in the beginning to place before man the knowledge of good and evil, and gave him a commandment to cleave to good and abstain from evil. But if he should fail, he would give to him the law of sacrifice and provide a Savior for him, that he might be brought back again into the presence and favor of God and partake of eternal life with him.” So, we are commanded to live the law of sacrifice because we yield to temptation.
The death of Jesus Christ ended the shedding of blood as a gospel ordinance and was replaced by the Sacrament. Elder Ballard observed that the sacrifice changed from the offering to the offerer and invited us to listen to the language of the scriptures as they describe the level of sacrifice the Lord requires of us: (Omni 1:26; see also Mosiah 2:24) “Offer your whole souls as an offering unto [God]”. Paul in Rom. 12:1). “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God”. In Mosiah we are invited to wholly rid ourselves of the “natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) and all the ungodliness associated with it. Hartman Rector Jr said sacrifice was having “an eye single to the glory of God. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “Real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed!” (“ ‘Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness,’ ” Ensign, May 1995, 68). The Savior Himself in sec 59:8 of the D&C said” Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord they God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and contrite spirit.”
Elder Ballard summarized by saying, ”When we overcome our own selfish desires and put God first in our lives and covenant to serve Him regardless of the cost, we are then living the law of sacrifice.”
The purpose of sacrifice all along has been to come unto Christ. We gather to remember and express gratitude for His great Atoning sacrifice. Elder Quentin Cook taught that a saint worships through consecration and sacrifice. The word worship is derived from an Old English word which means to give worth to something. So when we sacrifice in the prescribed way, we are demonstrating that our Redeemer is of great worth to us. His sacrifice proves His love for us and our sacrifice proves our love for Him. So, we live the law of sacrifice by coming to the Sacrament table with the determination to give up all our sins and to worship the God who made it possible.
So what are the blessings of worthily and consistently and devotedly and humbly offering up a broken heart and contrite spirit every week? I will mention two.
First, we develop the faith to endure
After many days an angel appeared to Adam & asked him why he offered sacrifices. Adam said “I know not save the Lord commanded me.” So our first exercise of faith is a test to see if we will obediently live the commandments often for many days without necessarily understanding why. In this veiled condition, we are met head on with the challenges of life which can either harden our hearts or accelerate the softening of them. Elder Faust put it beautifully: “Here, then, is a great truth. In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiner’s fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. In this way the divine image can be mirrored from the soul. It is part of the purging toll exacted of some to become acquainted with God. In the agonies of life, we seem to listen better to the faint, godly whisperings of the Divine Shepherd.”
“Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. ..The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. “ So the adversities of life are not the sacrifice, but merely the vehicle whereby we can choose to be softened and thus offer up a more potent and meaningful offering at the Sacrament table. The Lord rewards us for trusting Him by instilling us with even greater faith in Him.
Let me illustrate with a story out of the Aug 2010 Ensign. Brent Hammond’s job of 10 yrs was eliminated the week before Thanksgiving and his family was suddenly faced with terrible uncertainty of how to keep a roof over their head, plus they had a daughter in the mission field. After discussing the problem, he & his wife prayed. They felt impressed that it was more important than ever to put the Lord first. They agreed to always pay their tithing first, followed by continuing to support their daughter who in the mission field. After that, we would pay our other bills. They decided to put the Lord first in other ways by being more diligent in their callings & praying for opportunities to serve. They even joined the ward choir.
Bro Hammond applied for several jobs but there was nothing. Listen to what he said: “I felt a sense of urgency as our money began to run out. My heart was heavy as I got down on my knees one day and prayed for a miracle, explaining that we had done all we could and that we just did not know what else to do. That very afternoon, he received a job offer that paid almost equal to the one he lost. Now, do you think his ability to endure in faith increased?
This was his testimony: “I don’t know why our solution came relatively soon compared to others who [had] been without work for much longer. I do know that as we sought to put the Lord first, we felt confident in calling on Him for blessings. I … know that whatever the adversity and however long it may last, He does not forget us. He knows our true needs and He blesses us according to His infinite wisdom.
Now in order to endure in faith, the Prophet Joseph emphasized that we must have a testimony that our pursuits are acceptable to the Lord. In his lectures on faith, Joseph said ““An actual knowledge to any person, that the course of life which he pursues is according to the will of God, is essentially necessary to enable him to have that confidence in God without which no person can obtain eternal life … and unless they have an actual knowledge that the course they are pursuing is according to the will of God they will grow weary in their minds and faint. So how do we gain this testimony that is so critical to enduring faith?
D&C 97:8
Recently, one of our sisters was asked to share her favorite painting of the Savior which was of the woman who believed if she could just touch the Lord’s hem, she would be healed. Our dear sister tearfully admitted she was a sinner and that all she wanted was to touch his garment. Do you think her broken heart was accepted of God? He said it was. I have no doubt His virtue will flow into her & she will know that her offering & the course in life that produced it is accepted.
A 2nd blessing of sacrifice occurred to me after much pondering, prayer, fasting, & temple attendance. I had never thought of it before but the more I ponder, the more obvious it becomes. It is the blessing of unity. Interestingly, when the Savior commanded us to sacrifice a broken heart & contrite spirit, it was by revelation to JS after he had just dedicated the land of Zion in Jackson County, MO. So how does a broken heart & contrite spirit produce unity?
Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught: “Our highest sense of sacrifice is achieved as we make ourselves more sacred or holy. This we do by our obedience to the commandments of God. Thus, the laws of obedience and sacrifice are indelibly intertwined. … As we comply with these and other commandments, something wonderful happens to us. … We become more sacred and holy—[more] like our Lord!” (“Lessons from Eve,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 88). As we become more like Him, we also become more like minded. As holy Saints gather together, they naturally create a Zion community.
M Russell Ballard tells a story of when he was a bishop. It was during the time when members had to raise money to build their own chapels. His ward had already sacrificed a great deal, so it was with much concern that he approached the Lord about how to ask them for the final $30,000. He was impressed to relate the experience of his grandfather who had a vision of the Savior which made him declare that he would sacrifice anything to be in His presence again. The ward, half of which was under the age of 12, felt inspired to exercise more faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Elder Ballard relates, “family after family came to my office with money, making personal sacrifices that were far beyond what I, the bishop, would ever have asked of them. By eight o’clock Sunday evening, the ward clerk had written receipts for a little more than $30,000.
What was really remarkable was what happened afterward. In his own words, Elder Ballard said, “Sacrifice truly brought forth the blessings of heaven to the members of our ward. Never have I lived among people who were more united, more caring, more concerned for one another than these ward members were when making their greatest sacrifice. In the midst of this effort, the sick of our ward were healed through priesthood blessings. The youth committed to live righteously. The young men set their goals to be fully worthy to serve missions, and most of them did; and the young women resolved to settle for nothing but a worthy temple marriage. Sisters of the Relief Society found great joy in rendering compassionate service to others, and home teaching and visiting teaching were completed every month in the spirit of joy and service. In the midst of our greatest sacrifice, our ward members became bonded together in the true spirit of the gospel of love and service”
In a 1983 General Conference, President Marion G. Romney gave a talk on unity that described another type of sacrifice. He said, “Unity comes by following the light from above. It does not come out of the confusions below. While men depend upon their own wisdom and walk in their own way, without the guidance of the Lord they cannot live in unity. Neither can they come to unity by following uninspired men. The way to unity is for us to learn the will of the Lord and then to do it. We of this Church can come …to a oneness which will give us strength beyond anything we have yet enjoyed if we will obtain a sounder understanding of the principles of the gospel and come to a unity in our interpretations of present world conditions and trends. This we can do by prayerful study of the Lord’s word, including that given to us through the living prophet.
(Now listen to this next part) This is the way to come to a unity. If we will … not harden our hearts, but humble ourselves and develop a real desire to understand its application to us in our own peculiar circumstances, and then ask the Lord in faith, believing that we shall receive (see D&C 18:18), all the while being diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord, surely the path we should follow will be made known unto us, and we will be able to face the world as a solid unit.”
I bear witness that the faith and unity that comes through the medium of sacrifice will do more to prepare us for the Lord’s coming than any other thing. As we are refined & strengthened, sacrifices will appear as blessings instead of challenges. Kerry & I have had a number of distracting experiences since being called on our mission. We have had things go wrong with our house and cars that have cost us over $5k. We have had things happen that took time away from getting our affairs in order the way we would have liked, but it is our testimony that God is preparing our hearts and our minds for what we are to do. I loved the imagery that Dallin Richardson gave us of how the shield of faith is our first line of defense for deflecting blows away from our hearts & minds. We have been assured that Satan will have no power over us until our work is through. How blessed we are to even be able to go and to serve together as a couple. And how we will miss you. You have provided a holy and loving environment for me in particular and after 20yrs of cacooning, I feel I am rising up with healing in my wings. You are part of my heart and I leave you in the name of our beloved Savior and friend, Jesus Christ. Amen. Kerry: SACRIFICE
Lynda’s testimony, her instruction regarding sacrifice, and the beautiful music we have just heard should fill our spirits for some time. I pray my words will not detract from the spirit we have felt already. Thank you Lynda, Matthew and Natalie.
When we received our mission call, the Bishop informed us that we would be speaking in Sacrament meeting today and that he would give us a topic later. We waited, and waited, and waited until one Sunday I suggested that since we were being called on a Military Relations mission that a good topic for me was to speak on the principles of war as applied by the Book of Mormon Commanders. As soon as I made this suggestion the Bishop said he wanted us to talk on Sacrifice. Guess he wasn’t too interested in the principles of war.
Lynda has covered the topic of sacrifice in great detail. Thus I intend to cover a few examples of sacrifice that have significantly impacted yours’ and my lives. As defined, sacrifice is giving up something valuable for something better. If that is true, then I hope that each of us will reflect on what we owe to those who have gone before and feel tremendous gratitude for what our forebears sacrificed to make our lives better.
We often hear and read of the sacrifices of our pioneer forefathers, but as Americans it started long before the Gospel was restored and our ancestors crossed the plains.
We have learned (or should have learned, we often don’t learn the details any more, just the general facts) from American history how our founders offered their all for the right to be free and raise their children under the banner of freedom. “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they have been endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence and concluded it with “for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Many did in fact forfeit their lives, many more their fortunes, but none their sacred Honor.
What do we owe to these brave men, many who gave their all? Do we value our freedom commensurate with their sacrifice?
The signers of the Declaration of Independence were considered the leaders of the Revolution, but what of the common man who caught the vision of truly being free, what of their sacrifices? We very seldom hear what sacrifices they suffered – for us.
Soldiers in any day sacrifice, but during the Revolution the suffering and sacrifice were beyond anything experienced in more modern times. Consider the winter at Valley Forge. After a resounding defeat at the hands of General Howe, Washington retreated to Valley Forge to regroup for the coming summer campaigns. The men were divided into squads of 12 men. Then each squad built a 12x12 log hut for protection from the weather. They had no nails so the roof was covered with pine boughs that leaked dripping melted snow on the occupants when the fire warmed up the huts. I’ll relate a few lines from one account of conditions at Valley Forge.
“The thousands that had no blankets used what they could find to cover themselves at night, including the few canvas summer tents that had survived. No squad had enough shoes or trousers or coats or shirts to stand guard duty, and they had learned to give the best they had to the man leaving to take his two-hour shift, hunched over from cramps in his empty belly, shivering in the deep, bitter cold. When that man returned, he stripped off all he had and handed it to the next man going out to stand picket, then wrapped himself in whatever he could find to crouch near the smoking fire, shivering, teeth chattering, coughing, eyes watering. If he had no shoes (which most did not), a man endured his two-hour picket duty standing on a felt hat to keep his bare feet from freezing to the ground. Toes turned black, then putrid, and every day surgeons laid men on rough-sawed wooden tables in homes or barns or log cabins that were called hospitals. They gave them half a cup of whiskey to dull their senses, strapped them down, thrust a leather belt between their teeth, and used scalpel and saw to remove the dead member while the men writhed and groaned. When the surgeons ran out of scalpels, they turned to the razors used to shave.” Prelude to Glory, Vol 3, 395-396.
For food these men would receive, on some days, a half cup of weevil infested flour. They would mix this with melted snow, form into a small cake and bake it on the coals of the fire. When browned they would remove the cake with a stick, break off small pieces and chew slowly to get all the flavor and good they could from it.
Once they received a captured shipment of 1,500 British boots, all too small to fit anyone in the camp. They boiled them and ate them. We have heard stories in General Conference of the starving pioneers boiling and eating their boots too.
Why did these men stay in such conditions? Many in fact gave up and went home. But many were inspired by righteous leaders and the prayers and letters of their families to stay the course. With the training they received late winter and spring these survivors became the backbone of an army that won American independence.
I knew a retired infantryman who performed the temple work for one of these Continental Army soldiers that suffered through that winter at Valley Forge. He said that there, in the temple, he felt a kinship with this hero of the revolution, and experienced a feeling of gratitude from that patriotic spirit that would never be forgotten.
Do we ever think about these magnificent sacrifices that made America free enough for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored? Do we thank God for the sacrifices they made that have benefited us so greatly?
How many times have we read about the suffering and sacrifices of the Prophet Joseph? He suffered prison, starvation, beatings, tar and feathering, and eventually murder to be the Lord’s Prophet of the restoration. Do we consider the debt of gratitude we owe this great Prophet for the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon? For the establishment of The Church? For the blessing we receive as we take eternal covenants in the Holy Temples?
Many of us are descendants of hardy pioneers, and we feel grateful and inspired by their faith-promoting examples of sacrifice. Elder Ballard told of his great-grandmother Margaret McNeil Ballard who recorded in her journal a pioneer experience of sacrifice that occurred when she was between nine and eleven years of age. She wrote:
“After landing we planned to go west to Utah with the Martin and Willey handcart companies; but Elder Franklin D. Richards counseled my father not to go with them. Afterwards, we were very thankful because of the great suffering, privation and cold weather to which these people were subjected. There were many of the company who were frozen that year on their journey.
“The company we were assigned to had gone on ahead and as my mother was anxious for me to go with them she strapped my little brother James on my back with a shawl. He was only four years old and … quite sick with the measles; but I took him since my mother had all she could do to care for the other children. I hurried and caught up with the company, traveling with them all day. That night a kind lady helped me take my brother off my back. I sat up and held him on my lap with the shawl wrapped around him, alone, all night. He was a little better in the morning. The people in the camp were very good to us and gave us a little fried bacon and some bread for breakfast.
“We traveled this way for about a week, before my brother and I were united with our family again.”
Elder Ballard said that this brief episode in his Great-grandmother’s life taught him that our pioneer ancestors gave everything, even their lives, for their faith, for the building of the kingdom of God when the Church was in its infancy. It taught also that they helped, nourished, and strengthened each other in their extremity and shared unstintingly. Their material means, such as food, clothing, and shelter, were meager, but their love for one another and their devotion to their Lord and to the gospel were boundless.
I am grateful to my own Great Grandfather, Hans Nielson, who, at twelve years old, with his parents, gave up a comfortable home and farm in Denmark to join the Saints in Utah. They walked, carrying what they could, from Denmark to a port on the English Channel, took a ferry to England, walked across England to Liverpool, and as so many others, eventually came to Utah.
When they arrived in Utah they were so poor that all they could do that first year was to gather logs and branches, lean them against a bank and cover with mud to protect them during that first winter.
They had been in Utah for only a couple years (now sixteen) when the Prophet called my Great Grandfather and one other young man to go to Star Valley Wyoming. These two young men went alone, in the early spring, and planted a crop of wheat (the first ever grown in Star Valley I might add). While the wheat was growing they built two sturdy cabins and were joined by their families in the fall in time to harvest the wheat. They lived on this crop as they spent the winter in the cabins and saved enough for planting in the spring.
Due to illness Hans and his family later moved to the Grand Round Valley in Oregon where he raised most of his family and was an early stalwart in establishing The Church in eastern Oregon. My grandmother remembered the one room hut they built in Oregon where the family of ten lived for several years. She told me her only toy was a rag stuffed with straw to make a doll.
I had the opportunity to know this great man and hear his testimony and commitment to the Gospel. In his old age he lived with my grandparents with whom I spent considerable time. He died when I was fourteen.
Sacrifice has always been required of missionaries. Brigham Young recorded: “In company with several of the Twelve I was sent to England in 1839. We started from home without purse or scrip, and most of the Twelve were sick; and those who were not sick when they started were sick on the way to Ohio; Brother Taylor was left to die by the roadside, by old Father Coltrin, though he did not die. I was not able to walk to the river, not so far as across this block, no, not more than half as far; I had to be helped to the river in order to get into a boat to cross it. This was about our situation. I had not even an overcoat; I took a small quilt from the trundle bed, and that served for my overcoat, while I was traveling to the State of New York, where I had a coarse satinette overcoat given to me. Thus we went to England, to a strange land to sojourn among strangers.” (Preston Nibley, Missionary Experiences, Bookcraft, 1975, p. 90.)Jeffery R. Holland in the October 2002 Conference related this story of sacrifice in our time.
“A wonderful sister recently said to a dear friend: “I want to tell you about the moment I ceased resenting my husband’s time and sacrifice as a bishop. It had seemed uncanny how an ‘emergency’ would arise with a ward member just when he and I were about to go out to do something special together.“One day I poured out my frustration, and my husband agreed we should guarantee, in addition to Monday nights, one additional night a week just for us. Well, the first ‘date night’ came, and we were about to get into the car for an evening together when the telephone rang.
“‘This is a test,’ I smiled at him. The telephone kept ringing. ‘Remember our agreement. Remember our date. Remember me. Let the phone ring.’ In the end I wasn’t smiling.
“My poor husband looked trapped between me and a ringing telephone. I really did know that his highest loyalty was to me, and I knew he wanted that evening as much as I did. But he seemed paralyzed by the sound of that telephone.
“‘I’d better at least check,’ he said with sad eyes. ‘It is probably nothing at all.’
“‘If you do, our date is ruined,’ I cried. ‘I just know it.’
“He squeezed my hand and said, ‘Be right back,’ and he dashed in to pick up the telephone.
“Well, when my husband didn’t return to the car immediately, I knew what was happening. I got out of the car, went into the house, and went to bed. The next morning he spoke a quiet apology, I spoke an even quieter acceptance, and that was the end of it.
“Or so I thought. I found the event still bothering me several weeks later. I wasn’t blaming my husband, but I was disappointed nevertheless. The memory was still fresh when I came upon a woman in the ward I scarcely knew. Very hesitantly, she asked for the opportunity to talk. She then told of becoming infatuated with another man, who seemed to bring excitement into her life of drudgery, she with a husband who worked full-time and carried a full load of classes at the university. Their apartment was confining. She had small children who were often demanding, noisy, and exhausting. She said: ‘I was sorely tempted to leave what I saw as my wretched state and just go with this man. My situation was such that I felt I deserved better than what I had. My rationalization persuaded me to think I could walk away from my husband, my children, my temple covenants, and my Church and find happiness with a stranger.’
“She said: ‘The plan was set; the time for my escape was agreed upon. Yet, as if in a last gasp of sanity, my conscience told me to call your husband, my bishop. I say “conscience,” but I know that was a spiritual prompting directly from heaven. Almost against my will, I called. The telephone rang and rang and rang. Such was the state of my mind that I actually thought, “If the bishop doesn’t answer, that will be a sign I should go through with my plan.” The phone kept ringing, and I was about to hang up and walk straight into destruction when suddenly I heard your husband’s voice. It penetrated my soul like lightning. Suddenly I heard myself sobbing, saying, “Bishop, is that you? I am in trouble. I need help.” Your husband came with help, and I am safe today because he answered that telephone.
“‘I look back and realize I was tired and foolish and vulnerable. I love my husband and my children with all my heart. I can’t imagine the tragedy my life would be without them. These are still demanding times for our family. I know everyone has them. But we have addressed some of these issues, and things are looking brighter. They always do eventually.’ Then she said: ‘I don’t know you well, but I wish to thank you for supporting your husband in his calling. I don’t know what the cost for such service has been to you or to your children, but if on a difficult day there is a particularly personal cost, please know how eternally grateful I will be for the sacrifice people like you make to help rescue people like me.’”
Our commitment to the kingdom should match that of our faithful ancestors even though our sacrifices are different. They were driven from comfortable homes and compelled to journey a thousand miles by ox-drawn wagon and handcart to reestablish their families, homes, and Church in safety. Our sacrifices may be more subtle but no less demanding. Instead of physical deprivation and hardship, we face the challenge of remaining true and faithful to gospel principles amidst such evil and destructive forces as dishonesty, corruption, drug and alcohol misuse, and disease often caused by sexual promiscuity. Also, we find ourselves in combat daily with immorality in all of its many forms. Pornography and violence, often portrayed in television shows, movies, and videos, are running rampant. Hate and envy, greed and selfishness are all about us, and families are disintegrating at an ever-increasing pace. In the midst of all of this, my brothers and sisters, we must never forget the source of our abundant blessings. We must never forget the sacrifices made by those who have come before.
Sacrifice is a demonstration of pure love. 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. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ manifested the supreme example of this love. His life and ministry established a pattern for us to follow. His divine mission was culminated in a supreme act of love as He allowed His life to be sacrificed for us. Having power over life and death, He chose to submit himself to pain, ridicule and suffering, and offered His life as a ransom for our sins. Because of His love, He suffered both body and spirit to a degree beyond our comprehension and took upon Himself our sins if we repent. Through His personal sacrifice, He provided a way for us to have our sins forgiven and, through Him, to find our way back into the presence of our Heavenly Father.
The sacrifice he requires of us is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Ne. 9:20) that can lead us to repentance. When we consider His example, the demands made upon our time or means are slight in comparison. We should, therefore, give gladly and count it as a blessing and an opportunity.
My brothers and sisters, we must not lose the spirit of sacrifice demonstrated by our forefathers. Some of the Lord’s choicest blessings await those who practice this eternal principle through extending themselves in service to God and to their fellowmen. The sacrificing spirit and the happiness that come through service to others can bring peace and joy even amid trials.
The principle of sacrifice should be taught in every Latter-day Saint home and should be practiced in many simple yet important ways. We can do this by setting an example of reverence that will bring the true spirit of worship into our meetings and by guarding against murmuring and complaining about the challenges of the Sunday worship schedule. We can contribute a generous fast offering, find joy in supporting missionaries, and pay an honest tithing. We can accept Church callings and serve with a happy and grateful heart, do temple work regularly, offer family and personal daily prayers, and teach one another. Both younger members and those who are older can prepare early and make themselves worthy to accept calls to serve as missionaries. We all can be good neighbors and can take care of widows, the poor, and the less fortunate. We can reach out to others in our service as home and visiting teachers. Brethren, we must be clean and worthy to bless others with the priesthood we hold.
Today we are not called to pull handcarts through the snow-swept plains of Wyoming. However, we are called to live, foster, and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our privilege to invest our means and our time to bless others. Each one of us must do all we can to preserve our Latter-day Saint way of life. A vital part of this preservation is a willingness to set aside personal desires and replace them with unselfish sacrifice for others.
God bless you, brothers and sisters, to know as I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that being a member of His church, the only true and living church, is never a burden but always a great blessing. That we may be grateful for this blessing and the sacrifices of our forefathers, and especially for that of our Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray humbly in his name, amen.
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