Let Us Die, for What?

The last few months have been filled with lots of pondering on my purpose in life. I've always had a pretty clear idea of what I'm to do with my life, but the concept of sacrifice for a righteous cause has frightened me. How much am I willing to give up for righteousness? It's a scary thought, thinking about what might be asked of you. But the recent months have prepared my heart for this, and I am at peace now. I can only want to share that peace with others.

What shall we Sacrifice?

What are we to give up for righteousness? The Lord often repeats that we must give our all. It's pretty straight forward, and daunting. What if we aren't giving our all? Or if we aren't giving it up for the right purpose? How shall we stand before the throne with a clean conscience after Christ has said that we must "be perfect, like I, or your Father which is in Heaven, is perfect?" 

We find ourselves in a very materialistic and egocentric world. It's very difficult for us to think about being willing to surrender ourselves and everything we own to the Savior. This is the concept we call the Law of Consecration. 

Consecration

According to the Guide to the Scriptures, Consecration is:

"To dedicate, to make holy, or to become righteous. The law of consecration is a divine principle whereby men and women voluntarily dedicate their time, talents, and material wealth to the establishment and building up of God’s kingdom."

Voluntarily giving up absolutely everything for God's work on earth. Talk about sacrifice! But here is my question. If we are to give up EVERYTHING, should we also give up our lives, or at least be willing to do so? The answer, shown by so many martyrs and saints throughout time, is yes. We are to lay down our very lives for the savior.

Why (or for what) shall we Sacrifice? 

Laying down one's life for something is a true sign of devotion. Christ said, "Greater lover hath no man than this, that he layeth down his life for his friends." If we are to also love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength, and the greatest love we can show is by giving our life, shouldn't we first and foremost be willing to die for God? So this is the first thing we must sacrifice (even our lives) for, our God. Some other things include: 

• Our Families
• Salvation itself
• Our God-given Rights
• The Rights of Others
• Our Personal Mission
• Our Country

As well as many more I am probably forgetting. But nonetheless, if you truly love something or somebody, you must be willing to sacrifice your very life for them. 

How shall we Sacrifice?

There are lots of ways to sacrifice for a righteous cause. We have discussed consecrating ones property, as well as being willing to die for something. But the most essential way to sacrifice yourself is to live for something. Live pure life, dedicated to Christ if you love Him. If you really love your wife or family, you will be willing to spend all of your time for them. The same thing applies to all the bullets in the list above. This is true consecration. It's the consecration of a heart and of a life. This is such a powerful principle. 

Attaining Perfection through Sacrifice

This is all great and dandy, but we are all human, and we can never fully consecrate ourselves to anything. That is, not by ourselves we can't...

Joseph Smith said, while he lay in the torment of Liberty Jail. Which was one of his great sacrifices;

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." (D&C 123: 17)

Here it is. Do everything you can, sacrifice your life and death even, and when you have tried your hardest (and God knows what you can handle, see 1 Corinthians 10: 15) then we must stop, and allow God to make up the slack. This is what we call grace. Grace is the process through which the Savior allows us to claim perfection. This is the where we find peace.

A last reminder...

Something I recently realized as I read "The Lincoln Hypothesis" is the power behind the Battle Hymn of the Republic, my personal anthem. The crowing verse of the song goes: 

"In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free,
While God is marching on."

 I would point out, as my camp director does, that the song was originally written, "As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free." It's very telling to see both life and death attributed to Christ. Just remember, it is His glory with transfigures us and makes us holy, and that is the reason we must make men free.

Truly, even in the midst of irksome sacrifices, we can sing glories and hallelujah to God, for He is marching along with us.

"Glory, Glory, Hallelujah, our God is Marching on!"