How are you being blessed by offering the Lord a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit?
"5 And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.
6 And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
7 And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.
8 Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore." (Moses 5: 5-8)
"19 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.
20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.
21 Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.
22 Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved." (3 Nephi 9: 19-22)
And here's the commentary entitled: "The Lord requires “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” :
"Before the Savior’s coming, animal sacrifices were a symbol of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice (see Moses 5:5–8). What new commandment did the Savior give in 3 Nephi 9:20–22? How does it point us toward Him and His sacrifice?
What does it mean to you to offer a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit? Why do you feel the Savior wants this sacrifice from you?"
The new commandment the Savior gave is to offer a sacrifice unto Him a broken heart and a contrite spirit instead of shedding of blood...This points us toward Him and His sacrifice because when our heart is repentant, we turn to the Lord for forgiveness of our sins and when our spirit is contrite, we turn to the Lord for strength as we strive to be obedient to His commandments.
"What you are is God's gift to you. What you will become is your gift to God." Offering what I am becoming as my gift to God is what it means to me to offer a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. The Lord wants this sacrifice from me because this way, I am submitting myself to the potter's hand to shape me into the best that I can be and I will be able to reach my full potential as a daughter of God.
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