Sacrifice Part 1

Sacrifice is something that can sound a bit heavy for most people. I'm not going to lie, part of me realises the hard meaning of this word. It means that if I sacrifice, I'm gonna loose out on something good. There is truth to this mentality, but the real fact is, you are gaining so much. Sacrifice is a principle handed down from the mouth of God from the very beginning of humankind on the earth.

And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.

And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.

MOSES 5:5-6

So from this, I could gather the following:

1. Sacrifice is a commandment.


2. Sacrifice is involved with worship.


3. Sacrifice is an offering from us of our best.

So with just two small verses of scripture, we can see to the very core of what sacrifice really is. It is a central principle in the worship of God in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic worlds, it is something godly. If I might apply it to Christian doctrine, the scripture continues to talk about sacrifice.

And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.

Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.

MOSES 5:7-8

So from the next couple of verses, we learn a bit more:

4. The Saviour was a sacrifice.


5. We conuct our own sacrifice in the similitude (likeness or similarity) of the Saviour's sacrifice.


6. Sacrifice is somehow linked to grace and truth.


7. Do all we do in the name of the Son (Like sacrificing...)


8. Sacrifice is somehow linked to repentance.

So from here, we start to find some relevance to sacrifice for us. I really feel that as we sacrifice something, we are filled with grace and truth. That is, however, if we sacrifice for a reason. Sometimes we are forced to do without for some reason by another person. We can react positively or negatively. I can definitely say that when people are negative, they are not filled with grace and truth. When we truly sacrifice for out God in the name of Chrsit, we also gain spiritual ground for ourselves through repentance. When we make mistakes in this life, we know that Christ will overcome all if we follow Him. We show the Saviour that we are willing to follow Him if we sacrifice in the name of Christ. We become better people because we are thinking about things other than our immediate needs. We are becoming more Christlike through our actions.

In modern times, the Church doesn't sacrifice lambs or anything like that anymore, but there are many ways that we can sacrifice (like fasting). If you have been attending an LDS congregation long enough, you have probably heard the term "natural man" used a bit. Here is were it comes from:

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

MOSIAH 3:19

When we sacrifice, we "putteth off the natural man" and become at one with God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This is done but putting God first through sacrifice and then letting the Holy Spirit enter into our hearts. When we get this right, we can enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost throughout our lives. We also a better prepared to take on life's challenges.

Sacrifice is a priciple I try to apply to my life every day. Sometimes it is hard to sacrifice in our lives. But every time that I have made a sacrifice, it has been worth it in the end.

I want to continue this topic some other time, as I have some personal experiences that I would like to share as well as some words from modern day prophets.

Lest We Forget

Just a little disclaimer: I am not a historian nor am I an authority on the matter I am going to write about. I just felt that today, I might take a bit of time and write what I know and feel about ANZAC day and what it means to me.

Today is April 25 which means it's a special day in Australia and New Zealand. Today is ANZAC Day, the day that we remember and pay our respects to those who have served their country in the armed forced. April 25th is the day that the ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) landed in Gallipoli, Turkey in 1915. The Gallipoli Campaign was a bloody one which saw the death of over 40,000 and ended in retreat. So why do we choose this day as one of the days that we pay our respects to those who serve and have served our country?

Right after the news of the Gallipoli landings reached Australia, there was a half-day of mourning for the loss of what would finally be over 8,000 Australians. The other contingent of the ANZACS, the New Zealanders also lost nearly 3,000. From 1916 ANZAC Day has been a day of solemn remembrance and respect to those who have fallen in war and those who have returned from war. Continuing through the Second World War and other wars that Australia has been involved in, ANZAC Day has been a day where we remember all of those from the two countries who give of themselves by service to their country.

In our family, we have the journals of my Great-Grandmother whose brother fought in the Second World War in the South Pacific. He was captured by the Japanese and never came home. News of his imprisonment in a POW work camp and his death came many years later and it is touching to read the account of my Grandmother and her feelings concerning the situation.

I also had the opportunity as one of my assignments as a missionary to serve in a congregation for the servicemen and women and their families serving on the Misawa US Air Force Base. This was another eye opening experience for me as I was interacting with families that had fathers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. I was there as a father said goodbye to his family. I also had the fantastic pleasure of teaching a lovely lady who as a single mum serving in the military. She was a strong woman whose friendship continues to be such a blessing in my life. I met so many people who were diligently who were giving of themselves for their country.
Here in Australia and around the world, let us pay our respects to those who serve our countries. I'd like to finish with the Ode of Remembrance which is read every day in the branches of the Returned Services League all throughout the country and is pondered by many Australians when remember ing those who have fallen.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

Taking Time Out

I have been taking the past few weeks to take some time away from my normal life to rethink about the direction that I want to go in. I have taken this time to visit friends in America. But I especially made time and visited a lovely friend of mine in Texas. This person is one of the people I helped bring into the church when I was a missionary in Japan. She is now married and it was lovely to meet her and her family after two years. While I was there, we went out and got some Texas BBQ with some friends of her's and she introduced me by saying "This is my missionary...". Right at that moment, something hit me a hard inside my heart. My actions had an effect on this person, a really strong effect. She is now married to a strong priesthood holder and is strong in the faith. She is confident that her Father in Heaven loves her. It was wonderful to see her so happy in the gospel.

This brought a scripture to mind:

Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 18:14-16

I really was rejoicing at her conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ! That alone made comings halfway across the world worth it! It also reminded me that all of our actions have an impact on those around us, whether for good or bad. We all need to "the light of the world."(Matthew 5:14)

Also, this is the time of year where members of the Church gather together from all around the world to listen to modern day revelation. This event known as General Conference is broadcast around the world in many languages. I am lucky that I will be able to attend this great event in person and am looking forward to it. I look forward to this event every year as it is a time where I can listen to the counsel from a prophet and look at my life and see how I am going. If you get a chance, look it up on the Church's website where you can watch it online. (conference.lds.org)

One Year On

This Sunday marks one year since the Great East Japan Earthquake happened. This past year has been filled with a lot of sorrow, death and sadness. But it has also been filled with love, hope, faith and humanity. I was caught up in the middle of the event as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was a traumatic experience that changed my life forever. It changed the life of millions. It changed Japan.

Serving a mission really changed me. It changed me in so many ways. A big thing during my service as a missionary was that earthquake. It gave me perspective that our mortal life is a fragile thing; but also that death is not the end. During the earthquake, I thought that my life was over. Everything was smashing and breaking, sirens were blasting and people were lost and confused. The news just got worse and worse as time went on. It was very hard for me to stay positive during the whole ordeal. All of us missionaries helped each other get through it.

There were many people we met in the street who needed help. We talked with them. They listened to us and we listened to them. We did our best to show love to our fellow man. I was amazed at how much the Japanese people care about each other. They banded together and prayed for each other. I still remember, clear as day, the many people we prayed with in the streets. I am truly moved at how much Japanese people care about each other. I had people come up to me and try to help me as a foreigner. I still get emotional today thinking about this wonderful attribute of the Japanese people.

I would like to share the words from a sister in our mission who was with us at the time of the earthquake. She remarked:

As we ran, the earthquake strengthened, preventing us from moving, and my companion and I clung to a pillar. I felt very scared at the time, but I also felt peace. For some reason, I felt okay.

That peace came to myself as well as thousands of people as the Lord comforted them. It is that peace that gave me reason to keep going when things got very difficult. One of the lowest points in my life is when I was told that I would never be able to return home to Fukushima. That is one of the times I needed that peace the most in my life. I received that peace from my Father in Heaven.

I was also blessed to be able to return to those areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami to participate in the cleanup efforts. It was a blessing to be able to talk to the people that lived there. I was moved out of an affected area and didn't stay, but these people stayed through all of the hardship. I have so much respect and love for these people. I was also blessed to return to Fukushima on my way back to Australia. It was a sacred day where I was able to reunite with many people. We all shed many tears together as we talked with each other about the experiences that we had.

But today as I struggle in coming to grips with everything that came as a consequence of this disaster. I know that I need to look forward. I need to turn to the Lord more in my life. Elder Dallin H. Oaks recently visit Japan and remarked the following:

Let us remember that the kind of tragedy you have just been through is temporary. It is a part of this world. The things that we teach ... are the things of eternity, the things that are not temporary, the things that are everlasting, those things that each of us can count on to be permanent.

ELDER DALLIN H. OAKS (February 2012)

And that is just it. The challenges that we face in life are just temporary, it doesn't mean that they are insignificant or meaningless though. But what we need to see and understand are those things of eternity, those things that surpass death and sadness. We need to see and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Saviour knows us perfectly and wants us to become happy like He is. And Christ will help us, whether we know it or not. I KNOW that Jesus is REAL. He LOVES US. Isn't that wonderful?

Lastly, if you can spare the time, please watch this video. It truly is heartwarming to receive something back from Japan.

An Old Angle

This year at university I had planned to begin my minor in Jewish Civilization. But due a to an administrative error, I can't study it until next year. Oh well. Not much I can do about that. But I do have the opportunity to do a bit of study that will help me gain a different point of view on things. Through the educational system that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers, I have an opportunity to study the Old Testament for a couple of semesters. I was quite excited at this prospect when I first heard it. As a missionary in Japan, I mainly focussed on the New Testament and the Book of Mormon and I didn't study the Old Testament that much.

I am hoping that this will provide me with a new angle to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many people see the Old Testament as, well... old. This is true, but that is what makes it gold! It is a spiritual and secular history of a people to which we owe much of our society's values and morals today. Those of the Jewish faith really are special. Their culture has remained strong for thousands of years and has been one of the biggest moral influences in our society. We should thank them, but sadly our modern history shows that the world has done the opposite. Even in Book of Mormon times, this attitude was prophesied:

But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?

O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people

2 Nephi 29:4-5

One thing that I really admire about Jews is that they center their lives around the covenants that they make with God. That is something that really deserves commendation. There are many people who profess to serve God but they try and make things of God fit around their lives instead of making their lives fit around God. It is a small, but I think, important detail in one's devotion to God. I know that I can always do better in making sure that God's program is the one happening in my life.

Back to the Old Testament... I am not a scholar at all. I am just 21 years old, trying to figure out what will happen in life. But this opportunity to deeply study this volume of scripture is something that I am excited for. Just a little Japanese lesson: 旧約聖書 (kyuuyaku seisho) is Old Testament. It literally means "ancient promise holy book". Although promises can be fulfilled, it doesn't mean that they are broken or no longer exist. I came across this idea as I was thinking about the topic. Interesting if you think about it. Anyways, soon after I returned home from missionary service, I heard this quote about the Old Testament:

Do you use all of the standard works, including the Old Testament? I have found precious truths in the pages of the Old Testament that are key ingredients to the platform of truth that guides my life and acts as a resource when I try to share a gospel message with others. For that reason, I love the Old Testament. I find precious jewels of truth spread throughout its pages.

The Power of Scripture (October 2011)

RICHARD G. SCOTT

Wow! Elder Scott's word have lifted me up on many an occasion. His words really do ring true. At times where I have flipped through the Old Testament, I have found some of these precious jewels of truth. Some find the Old Testament difficult to understand, but if we give our spiritual predesessors the attention they deserve, we can learn just a little bit more about them and the holy text that they left behind. One of the "difficult-to-understand" culprits is Isaiah. His words can be confusing to many. But this is what the Prophet Nephi has to say about the words of Isaiah:

Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews.

2 Nephi 25:1

We are all children of God and all deserve the same respect. Whether we are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever, we all are brothers and sisters. That is one eternal truth that will never change. And although we might have differences between us, we all have truth within us and what we believe. As is says in the 13th Article of Faith written by the Prophet Joseph Smith:

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Articles of Faith 1:13

A good mantra for anyone of any denomination. I strive to follow it and I encourage everyone to do the same.