The ends of the earth have inquired after the name of Joseph Smith, and today the sun never sets on the worldwide membership of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. On June 27, 1844, he and his brother Hyrum were savagely murdered in Carthage Jail. The Lord answered, “My son, peace be unto thy soul thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment.” 7 Then the Lord said these intriguing words to the Prophet: “The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name.” 8įive years later, looking back on the incomplete construction of the Nauvoo Temple, Joseph knew his journey’s end was near and that he was going “like a lamb to the slaughter,” yet he was “calm as a summer’s morning.” 9 With assurances for his protection, he submitted to one more arrest. Some weeks after that event, in another dark hour, Joseph implored the Lord for guidance. … into a corner,” dropped their weapons, “begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards.”īrother Pratt writes further: “I have seen the ministers of justice, clothed in magisterial robes … I have witnessed a Congress in solemn session … I have tried to conceive of kings, of royal courts, of thrones and crowns … but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon in an obscure village of Missouri.” 6 Chained, and without a weapon calm, unruffled and dignified as an angel. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still. Suddenly, he stood and in “a voice of thunder” said: “ ‘SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit.
In the jail the Prophet and his brethren had listened to the boasting and the despicable abuses the guards had committed among the “Mormons.” Finally the Prophet could abide their sordid cursing no longer. Those six months of suffering and confinement tutored this foreordained, preeminent Prophet. Pratt tells of a heartrending experience of being with the Prophet in jail in Missouri in the winter of 1838–39. Though the Prophet Joseph suffered greatly, he remained optimistic and overcame many persecutions. Joseph Smith’s life was an example of unselfish sacrifice for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that someday, somewhere, someone in my family will take my name to the temple, and I will be baptized and endowed, and my wife and children will be sealed to me. They seemed to leap right off the page and say: “You have found me.
As I watched the archivist photographing pages of moldy old books from the city of Pskov, the names became real people.
BRING THE SACRIFIRE ARCHIVE
We visited the vital statistics archive to view the Church’s efforts to microfilm some of the records of western Russia. Petersburg, Russia, my wife, Mary-Jayne, and I had the unique opportunity to feel the blessings of family history work. Like the Savior, this is an expression of sacrifice-doing something for others which they cannot do for themselves.Ī few years ago, while on a Church assignment in St. In the temple they perform sacred ordinances for their precious ancestry. They research microfilms and records, and with pens and computers they record dates and events. Faithful Saints contribute millions of hours compiling family history. Temple and family history work is a sacrifice of love. Kimball stated, “Upon practicing the law of the fast, one finds a personal well-spring of power to overcome self-indulgence and selfishness.” 5 Fasting and contributing a generous offering have a refining effect upon the soul.
We are invited to contribute the money saved on the cost of those two meals to the Church so it can assist those in need. The Lord asks us to set aside one Sunday a month to fast for two meals. Obeying the law of the fast is another form of sacrifice. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual.” 4 The faithful contribution of tithes is an outward expression of an inner commitment to sacrifice. King Benjamin said: “Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. 3 Not only does such sacrifice bless the individual and the family, but those voluntary contributions to the Church provide the energizing resources that help the kingdom of the Lord to perform miracles every day.
BRING THE SACRIFIRE WINDOWS
By doing so, we surrender our will to His, dedicating our lives to building up His kingdom and serving His children.įor those who faithfully sacrifice through an honest tithe, the Lord has promised that He will open the windows of heaven. Latter-day Saints make a covenant with the Lord to sacrifice. Sacrifice is defined as “the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else more important or worthy.” 2 Sacrifice comes in many forms and may not always be convenient. The words “sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven,” from the hymn “Praise to the Man,” 1 always stir my soul.
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