I would like to start my remarks this morning by posing a
question. My question for all of us is:
How do we show our commitment to the Savoir?
I submit to you brothers and sisters that our commitment is
demonstrated at least in part by our willingness to sacrifice and by our acts
of service.
I would like to share with you a few examples of that I believe
illustrate this point.
Prophet
Joseph
The Prophet Joseph Smith’s life gives us an example of one who
showed his commitment through sacrifice and service. His life was full given to
the Lord and His purposes. He stands as an example if one who consistently did
what he was asked regardless of the cost to himself. He was willing not only to
die for the cause of Christ and the Gospel he was willing to live for it. His
life provided a great example of sacrifice and commitment to the Lord.
Our
Commitments
Most of
us will not be asked to die for our testimonies of the gospel
however, we are asked to sacrifice in a number of ways. Each sacrifices whether
great or small will show the Lord that we are committed to Him.
Typically we are asked to serve in callings, as home and visiting
teachers, on committees or in an auxiliary presidency, bishopric or some other
capacity. We are asked to serve in the temple, both as patrons and as temple
workers. We are also asked to serve each other as neighbors and friend. Each of
these types of service will require sacrifice on our part. When we sacrifice
for the benefit of other and serve faithfully in church callings and assignments
the Lord recognizes our commitment to Him and His work.
Whatever the case may be sacrifice is never easy. But, we are
willing to make the sacrifice because we love the Lord and want to serve Him.
Missionary
Sacrifice
One of the most visible sacrifices today is that of our full-time
missionaries. We have 50,000 young men and young women who have put off
education and other worthy pursuits to share the gospel message. An additional
5,000 couples have put off their retirement to serve.
“They devote from six months to two years of their lives to teaching
the gospel of Jesus Christ and providing humanitarian service in more than 160
countries in the world. Their work always involves sacrifice, including the
years they give to the work of the Lord and also the sacrifices made in providing
funds for their support.”
When President Hinckley was asked by a minister of another faith
how we motivate our missionaries to provide this extraordinary service he
simply replied “We just ask.”
Member
Sacrifices
We serve and sacrifice in a variety of way in our own lives each
day. This service can be in many forms. Some of our opportunities to serve come
as a direct result of a church calling or assignment.
I would like to share some
experiences I have had with sacrifice related to church callings. I am sure
many of you could provide similar experiences from your church service.
Home Teaching
As a home teacher, Late one night I received a phone call from the
Sister Avery; she told me that her husband had been very ill with an infection.
She asked me to provide a priesthood blessing. I called another brother in our
ward and together we gave the blessing. Brother Avery had a short stay in the
hospital but made speedy recovery. The following Sunday I noticed the family
was not at church. It was announced in Priesthood meeting that Sister Avery had
become very ill and was in the hospital to have her gallbladder removed. After
Church I went to hospital to see what I could. A blessing had already been
provided by her husband another family member. Later that same month their
infant daughter was ill and I was asked to assist Brother Avery in providing a
blessing for their daughter.
Husband
to the RS President
In our last ward I was extended a calling that gave me great
satisfaction and also required more sacrifice than any I had held before. Our
Bishop called Jenny and I into his office and extended to her, the calling of Relief
Society President. He then looked at me and said with all seriousness, "Andrew,
this is a calling for you too. You will be the husband of the Relief Society
President. You will be her counselor and partner in this. You will not know
everything that she does, but she will need your help with this calling." I took
my calling seriously and helped as much as I could. I think in most cases she
found the advice of her counselors to be more valuable than what I offered, but
when she could include me she did.
I found that the sacrifices I was making more often than not was
holding things like making dinner when she was gone in the evening for meetings
or visiting with a sister who needed her. There were some nights when she was
going about the Lord’s work in our little ward and we did not have time
together. I saw her sacrifice time that should have been used studying to help
the sisters in our ward. It was not unusual for her to look out our window into
the apartment common area and see a sister that she felt impressed to just go
visit with. We had a sister who had specific needs that arose in the ward and I
saw the Lord work though Jenny to identify other women in the ward who were
able to provide assistance.
The times when Jenny was gone, our boys would miss her at dinner
and bedtime especially. I did my best to teach them that mom was doing her
calling - that we all missed her but what she was doing was important.
It is times like these that we show the Lord that we are committed
to Him and His gospel.
New
Member Sacrifices
Others who make sacrifices are new converts to the church in a
recent conference address Elder Oaks relate the following account of a young
man who joined the church while studying in the United States.
“As this man was about to return to his native land, President
Gordon B. Hinckley asked him what would happen to him when he returned
home as a Christian. ‘My family will be disappointed,’ the young man answered.
‘They may cast me out and regard me as dead. As for my future and my career,
all opportunity may be foreclosed against me.’
‘Are you willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?’ President
Hinckley asked.
Tearfully the young man answered, ‘It’s true, isn’t it?’ When that
was affirmed, he replied, ‘then what else matters?’”
Parents’
Story
My parents joined the Church separately as teenagers to this day they
are each the only members of their families who have joined the Church on this
side of the veil.
My father completed a full time mission in Germany. After her
returned home they were engaged.
Together, they made the difficult choice to forgo a traditional
wedding that their families and friends could attend and chose to be sealed for
time and all eternity to in the House of the Lord. As my mother once stated "We would
rather disappoint our earthly parents than our Heavenly parents."
They made the long drive from Burlington, Vermont to Washington,
DC knowing that whatever the fallout might be the Lord was pleased with their
choice.
As a result of that choice my mom’s mother would not speak to our
family for several years following their wedding.
However, the greater impact was the example that was set for
future generations. Their choice, to be sealed in the temple, has had a
positive influence on their three children and 13 grandchildren. Because of
their sacrifice they have sent two sons on missions and seen their three
children sealed in the temple. Their commitment to the Savior was made clear by
their sacrifices.
Temple
Service/Sacrifice
We also show our commitment by serving in the temple. Here in the
Salt Lake Valley we are blesses to have 4 temples. Yesterday morning I wanted
to go to the temple and because Oquirrh Mountain is closed I had to go ALL the
way to Jordan River.
While temples are beginning to “dot the earth” as President
Brigham Young prophesied, there are still many members who do not have the
luxury of having 4 temples within a 20 min driving distance.
Bishop
Wassain’s Story
I recall when I arrived in Baton Rouge, LA, in September of 1998, as
a missionary the members were very excited for the temple recently announced,
and under construction in Houston, TX because it would only be about 4 hours
away instead of instead of the nearly 8
hours they were traveling to Dallas, TX to attend the temple. On Oct. 14th
1998 the Baton Rouge, LA temple was announced. The temple was dedicated on
July, 16th of 2000, just one month before I left. During that time I
was serving in Houma, LA about 80 miles southwest of Baton Rouge. During fast and testimony meeting the August following
temple dedication the Bishop of the stood up and said:
“The most amazing thing happened to me yesterday. I woke up in my
own bed yesterday morning. I drove to the temple and did several endowment sessions.
I drove home and this morning I woke up in my own bed.”
At first his statement that this was “Amazing” to him struck me as
odd. Then I realized he has never done that before. He had always had to make
long drives both ways and would need to stay in a hotel for at least one night,
if not two.
No matter how far we have to travel, whether two miles or 200 miles, temple attendance is a sacrifice of time and provides a great
service for those who have gone before us.
I know that as we sacrifice and serve the Lord to the very best of
our abilities he will bless us the greater strength, and an increased ability
to serve and do his work. Our sacrifices both great and small show Him that we
love him and that we are committed to the gospel.
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