Elder M. Russell Ballard:
“After the Savior’s
ultimate sacrifice,. . . .the ordinance of the sacrament replaced the ordinance of
sacrifice. . . . This change moved the focus of the sacrifice from a person’s
animal to the person himself. In a sense, the sacrifice changed from the offering
to the offerer. . . .
“. . . Instead of the
Lord requiring our animals or grain, now He wants us to give up all that is
ungodly. . . . Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 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).
“.
. . 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 Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, 10).
