Give All That We Have to the Lord

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President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life to God will find he has eternal life.”

It reminds me of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjwv4SN1TfA

In Matthew 16:25 it says, "For whosoever will save his life shall lost it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

There are two ways we can look at this scripture ~ literally and figuratively.  Many saints have lost their lives because they would not turn against God. Peter, Paul, Abinadi, and even the prophet Joseph Smith. Each of them were martyrs who stood up for their belief in God ~ and lost their lives in the process.

There were also the early Saints who crossed the plains. They willingly sacrificed all that they had to move their families to a place where they could worship God without persecution. Some of them sacrificed their very lives and never made it to the Salt Lake valley. The Martin and Willey Handcart Companies were hit the hardest. Many lives were lost, but those who witnessed the hardships at the Sweetwater River lived to bear strong testimony that Christ did not leave them comfortless. 

In a Sunday School class some members were criticizing the decision of the handcart companies to head west so late in the year. An elderly man stood and said, "I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter you know nothing about. Cold historic facts … give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the Handcart Company out so late in the season? Yes. But I was in that company and my wife … too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but … we became acquainted with [God] in our extrem[i]ties.  

I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it. … I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there. 

Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company.” 

There are people who make similar sacrifices in the church today. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was called as a general authority while he was living in Germany, the country where he was born and raised his family. In 1999 he and his wife left their home and moved to the United States where they would live for the rest of their lives. They had to move away from their children and grandchildren. This is a great sacrifice that they are willing to give to the Lord. 

We will probably never have to give our literal lives to God, but we can demonstrate our willingness to give all that we have to the Lord by serving Him. I know that when I have made sacrifices for the Kingdom of God, I have been abundantly blessed. 

Learning from the Master Teacher

"Jesus Christ was the greatest teacher who ever taught," said President Spencer W. Kimball. There are many reasons for this. First, He loved those whom He taught, even the people who were opposing him and treating him cruelly. Second, He taught in a way that was simple and yet profound. A child could be taught the doctrines by Christ and understand perfectly and an educated adult could learn deep doctrines by pondering His words. He used objects and symbols that were familiar and He taught using parables. His wise use of parables helped people understand according to their level of understanding.

As I thought about parables while reading the New Testament, I realized that the more we are in tune with the Spirit, the more we can learn. There is a reason we are commanded and counseled to feast on the words of Christ. They will tell us all things that we should do. In 2 Nephi 32:3-5 it says,"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do. Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark. For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do."

This scripture makes it clear that we need to do more than listen or read. We have to sincerely want to know the doctrines of the kingdom and have a desire to live the commandments. In General Conference in October 2016 one of our leaders counseled us to not just read our scriptures so we can cross it off our to-do list, but read them so we can receive inspiration and strength from them. Elder Craig C. Christensen counseled us to read the Book of Mormon like we were Joseph Smith. Can you imagine what the teachings of the Book of Mormon would sound like if we had never heard them before? We would be filled with so much excitement and joy to know the truths of the gospel restored.  

As we read the scriptures, we can receive inspiration from the Holy Ghost. What we learn may not come from the words on the pages that we read, but from the still, small voice speaking to our heart. That is similar to how people in New Testament times learned from Christ's parables. One person, depending on their experience and understanding, could learn something different from another person.