I read the Relief Society lesson from the Gospel Principles book tonight. It was about sacrifice, and one of the most interesting questions to me was "Why do you think our willingness to sacrifice is related to our readiness to live in the presence of God?"
Then I read a scripture, in Luke 14. Jesus gives a parable, and in it He puts together a supper for the "servants" in his house. Each of them begins to make excuses as to why he can't come--one because he has a wife, and one because he needs to go take care of the oxen, etc. Finally, the Lord says, "For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper."
I really think this parallels with our lives and why it's important to be willing to make sacrifices. In many cases, we aren't asked to completely give up possessions or relationships or responsibilities or other things we care about--but the idea is that we should be willing to do it if asked. Also, we should be willing to put those things further down on the list if it means putting God first--nothing else should come before our relationship with God. The servants in the parable weren't willing to de-prioritize some of their responsibilities to spend some precious time with their master, and we similarly lose out when we can't put Him first. That's my answer to the question of why sacrifice is important for preparing us for eternal life: without it, we will miss out on our time with the Lord. And how can we become like Him if we don't spend time with Him?
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