Born of the water

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  (John 3:5)

Baptism has been hotly debated since at least the time of the ancient Apostles.  Some say any ritual washing is baptism, others believe it is just in the heart.  It seems from my reading of the Scriptures that it is an essential element in the spiritual progression of everyone who would become a follower of Christ, but I have always wondered why.  Why were Jesus' last words to His disciples, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost?"  (Matthew 28:19)  In other words: "teach and baptize everyone in the world;" this leaves no one out.  It seems so ritualistic, I have been almost inclined toward the half of Christians who believe that "dunking" under water is unnecessary, until I understood why it is necessary.

The problem with Christianity is that we have a conundrum: we cannot be clean without the Holy Ghost, and we cannot have the Holy Ghost without being clean!  The answer is repentance.  Repentance allows us to "turn away" from our sins or give them up.  When we have repented of all our sins, meaning that we “no longer desire to do evil, but to do good continually” we can only then be washed clean through the Holy Ghost and return to God.  Baptism is the covenant that allows us to repent.

Covenants are promises that we make to God, and He makes to us.  Baptism is the covenant that we will do His will, and in return He will forgive all sins of which we have repented.  The Lord keeps His promise based on our promise, "as if" we had already done our part; we are not required to immediately be perfect.  The covenant gives us time to repent.  We can be forgiven each time we repent so that we can have the Holy Ghost to help us.  The Lord never forgets those who have a covenant with Him: "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."  (Isaiah 49:15)

Baptism is required of everyone who has ever sinned so they can be clean and enter into the Kingdom of God.  Sin is willful rebellion against God and requires two things: knowledge of what is right and wrong, and the ability to choose.  Lehi tells us that "men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil."  (Nephi 2:5)  The "light of Christ" is given to everyone so everyone who is old enough to understand can distinguish good from evil.  This is why Paul says, "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."  (Romans 3:23)  Children do not need baptism because they can’t sin; they don't have knowledge or understanding.  They can transgress a law, but not break it.  We would not put a little child in jail for "shoplifting" if he ate some candy in the store because we know, a priori, that he doesn't understand; he has to learn that it's wrong to take things that don't belong to him.  Only those who have transgressed a law of God with knowledge need to be baptized.

There is a specified and authorized way to make our covenant with God valid.  For example, if I am renting a house and a man pays me for the house he still doesn’t own it.  Though he has a legal, signed contract that gives him possession of the house, since I didn’t own the house, and wasn’t authorized by the owner to sell the house, his contract is void.  He paid a lot of money for nothing.  Likewise, many people make covenants by those who are not authorized to speak for the Lord.  Also, we can say we have made a covenant, but if it isn’t done in the Lord’s way it isn’t recognized by Him.  For example, my dad loaned a large amount of money to a friend who has never thought to repay the loan.  Since there was no written contract, the law doesn't recognize the loan so he has no recourse.  In the same sense, if we don't make the covenant with God in His way, we have no recourse.  In order to make a valid covenant with the Lord it must be done in His way by His authorized servants.   

God cannot be arbitrary; He must be perfectly just.  This means every one of His children must be judged by the same standard.  The standard He has set is that everyone who has sinned must be “born of the water.”  Baptism is the great leveling ordinance.  It makes everyone equal in the eyes of God so all can be judged by the same standard.  It is simple, direct, and very symbolic.  It is an outward sign of an inward commitment, or the token of the covenant.  Those who accept the ordinance and fulfill it have a promise from God of forgiveness of sins, but those who don't, don't.  "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."  (D&C 82:10)  This is why everyone must be baptized.

Centered on the Eccentric

People are interested in the eccentric.  We love to hear stories about the eccentricities of others, especially if they are famous.  The National Enquirer boasts the largest circulation of any newspaper and is based on rumors of unusual behavior.  Many famous people are as well-known for their eccentricities as for their contributions to humanity.  Albert Einstein is the quintessential "absent-minded professor."  Henry Ford drank his own urine.  Howard Hughes had obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as anxiety.  The King of Rock-n-Roll was well known for his eccentric behavior, as was the King of Pop; both were, and still are, the subject of much gossip.  (Ironically, Michael once told me, "I don't want to end up like my father-in-law!")  It's just not interesting to hear about the normal behavior of others. 

In spite of this, we all want to be "normal."  We hide our eccentricities from others, insisting that we are "just like everyone else."  I saw a program where prisoners on "death row" were being interviewed.  One young man insisted, "I'm just like you.  I had to kill the woman because she wouldn't give me her car; anyone would have done the same."   Though he was scheduled to be executed, he still considered himself normal.  Moreover, in consideration of everyones need to be normal, it's impolite to speak of the differences in others.  We don't talk about how they look different or have any unusual behaviors.  We feel that we are normal because we see everything through our own eyes; though our filter may be off-color, since that's all we see, it seems normal.

The Scriptures tell us, however, that our "normal" behavior isn't good.  King Benjamin didn't mince words in saying that "the natural man is an enemy to God."  (Mosiah 3:19)  What is natural and normal is in opposition to God so if we are to come to know Him we must follow Him by going against our natural inclinations.  "Disciple" Indicates more than a follower in theory, but rather changing the whole being, or the heart.

The scriptures often use words for the followers of Christ that denote eccentricity.  "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people..."  (1 Peter 2:9)  The concept of "covenant people" refers to those who are bound to God and leave the world.  We are told to "come out of the world."  The followers of Christ will always be different from their neighbors.  The word "holy" literally means "set apart," referring to being different from, or outside of the world. 

The Lord Himself is called "the Holy One of Israel."  Isaiah repeats this: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts..."  (Isaiah 6:3)  He is not natural or normal, but rather eccentric.  Jesus told His disciples before His death, "the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me,"  (John 14:30)  and Pilate during His interrogation, "My kingdom is not of this world."  (John 18:36)  He was not part of the establishment so when He started getting too much power He had to be killed.  God is so different from this world.  His Kingdom is so far removed as to be incomprehensible in worldly terms.  Jesus used parables to illustrate His Kingdom, beginning with "The kingdom of Heaven is likened..." because He couldn't explain it in a concrete way -- it's completely outside the experience of those in the world.

If we are centered in anything of the world, then we are not centered on God.  The goal, then is to become eccentric.  Prophets are often described and portrayed as eccentric.  Some yell, "repent!" on a street corner.  Others run naked through the streets.  They give their children strange names.  They just aren't like "normal people."  Paul thought everyone should be a prophet --, not to go running naked, necessarily, but to have the spirit of prophecy and do anything the Lord asks.  Since God is so far removed from the world, it is impossible to keep one foot in the world and the other in His Kingdom.

The way to start this process is to learn about God and His Kingdom.  The Scriptures contain this information, but it must be understood through the Holy Ghost because it is completely foreign.  Prayer is also an essential part of coming to know Him.  The only way to know anyone is to communicate with them, the more the better.  We begin by asking for what we want, but over time we learn to pray differently.  Rather than praying for Him to give us what we desire of the world, we pray to hear His voice, to see His truth, and to understand His will.  What happens in this process is that we are gradually taken out of the world, our focus changes from the world to God and we become different, peculiar, holy -- or eccentric.

Tokens

The covenants we make with the Lord are the same ones He always makes with His followers.  They are based on obedience and sacrifice.  We promise to obey Him and give up our wants, needs, and desires, and He promises to save us in four ways: physical death, suffering, spiritual death, and damnation.  Our salvation in each of the four ways are independent of the others.  We can be saved from suffering and not from spiritual death, for example.  Thus, each has a different covenant, and a different sacrifice.  Each of the covenants is an internal commitment -- they are all spiritual and of the heart.  Nobody can see them; they are not concrete; they do not exist in time and space, but rather in Eternity.  In order for us to begin to grasp the concept of these commitments we are making to God, we have tokens given to us. 

We can sacrifice only what we possess, but we don't own, or possess, anything of the world; all of it belongs to God.  The Lord explained this in the Apocalypse: "Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."  (Revelation 3:17)  Paul tells us that we don't even own our bodies: "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"  (1 Corinthians 6:19)  In other words, we don't possess anything of the world, not even our own bodies.

If we possess nothing, then how can we possibly make a sacrifice?  It’s too easy to sacrifice other people's stuff, namely God's so all of our worship are tokens of the real sacrifice: a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  When Jesus came to visit the Nephites He told them, "I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.  And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit."  (3 Nephi 9:19-20)  They were no longer just to give the tokens by living the letter of the Law of Moses, but were now required to make the actual sacrifice by keeping the commandments in their hearts.  Some consider paying tithing or offerings, fasting for a few hours, going to church every week, or keeping the Sabbath day holy to be great sacrifices.  These, however, are not the true sacrifices, but only tokens of the real thing. 

A broken heart means that whatever we love of the world is replaced by the love of God.  Our heart is broken when those things on which our heart is set are forsaken.  The first commandment is to love God with all our heart, might, mind and strength.  This means that nothing in the world could be more important to us than God.  Jesus explained, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."  (Matthew 10:37)  Even our own families must be put behind our love for God. 

Job understood this concept well.  After losing everything, including all his children, he said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."  (Job 1:21)  He later said, "The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me."  (Job 3:25)  His heart was broken.

Abraham was also a great example of one who loved God more than anything.  The Lord told him, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."  (Genesis 22:2)  He was willing to sacrifice his promised heir, his only son by Sarah, as a token of his love for God.  His heart was broken.

The term "contrite spirit" is a description of humility.  Contrition happens when we begin to see the reality of who we are in relation to God.  After speaking with God face-to-face Moses declared, "For this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.  But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him."  (Moses 1:10-11)  In Numbers there is an interesting parenthetical statement, "(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)"  (Numbers 12:3)  This is a "contrite spirit."

A "broken heart and a contrite spirit" are the only things we truly have to give to God.  He owns everything else.  Whatever else we give are only tokens of this, or they are nothing at all.  Some sacrifice foolishly because the Lord doesn't command it.  After the death of Christ all the burnt offerings were just burning sheep, nothing more.  Those who only give part of what God commands are worse off.  Ananias and Sapphira sold some land and kept some of the money, giving the rest to Peter as an offering.  Peter discerned the lie and both of them died as an example, or token, of what happens to those who don't give to God with their whole heart.

All the Saints are required to give the tokens of their commitment to God.  These include tokens of obedience and sacrifice, the Gospel, the law of chastity, and ultimately, consecration.  It seems so hard.  The early Saints had to give everything they owned to the Apostles, and they had all things in common.  All were required to sacrifice houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for Jesus' sake.  Later, many were even required to give their lives, including the Apostles themselves.  All these sacrifices are but tokens of what they had in their heart and spirit, for they actually possessed none of them.  The Saints today make the same covenants with God to make the same sacrifices.  We give what the Lord commands directly and through His servants in authority.  However, all of the things we possess, our time, talents, and even our lives that we may be required to sacrifice are but tokens of our commitment to, and love of, God.

Salvation x4

Lehi tells Jacob that, "Redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.  Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered."  (2 Nephi 2:6-7, emphasis added)

Only those who have a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" can be saved from the punishment of the Law.  This concept is repeated over and over in the scriptures.  Nobody else is saved in this way.  It seems obvious to me because the only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is to be clean.  We cannot be clean unless we repent, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."  (Romans 3:23)  

If we do not have a broken heart we have not repented, indeed, we cannot repent. 
A "contrite spirit" is one who is humble, who sees himself in relation to God.  He knows he is ignorant, "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."  (Revelation 3:17)  He knows that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.  The proud and haughty don't see reality and cannot repent.  If they don't repent, they can't be clean; and if they aren't clean they can't enter into the Kingdom of God.

The four ways

There are four types of salvation found in the Scriptures: 1) salvation from physical death, or resurrection, 2) salvation from suffering for sins, 3) salvation in the Kingdom of God, and 4) Eternal Life.  Each is a gift, but the Messiah doesn't save everyone from everything.  There are contingencies on every gift -- we must receive, or accept them.

The first gift of salvation, immortality, is given to all those who "kept their first estate" so there is no further requirement of those who come to their "second estate." In other words, if we are born on Earth it means we were faithful in our previous life and will keep our bodies.  "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."  (1 Corinthians 15:22) Everyone receives salvation from physical death, no matter what!

All other blessings depend upon repentance and faithfulness.  Salvation from the consequences of sin is offered only to those who repent and forsake all their sins.  This is what Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross:  "I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;  Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit."  (D&C 19:16-18)  We don't have to suffer if we repent.  The Messiah offers this salvation freely to all.

Salvation in the Kingdom of Heaven is offered to all those who receive Christ in baptism, covenant with Him, and remain faithful to their covenants.  Those who refuse the covenants of baptism may repent and be saved from suffering, but they do not enter into the mansions of the Father.  Only those who are "valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ” merit this Kingdom.  "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."  (John 3:5)  The second part is to be "Born of the Spirit."  After baptism we must "Receive the Holy Ghost" in order to be "born again."  Both are required for salvation in the Kingdom of God.  The Messiah refuses no one who desires to be His covenant children."

The highest meaning of salvation, exaltation, is reserved for those who make the ultimate sacrifice of all things in the world.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as many others, including the prophets, who were "faithful in all things" receive this salvation.  These become the rulers in Heaven, who are "joint heirs with Christ," and sit on the throne of God -- even at His right hand.  "All things," means all things.  They follow the Messiah into the depths of humility and "submit to all things whatsoever the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [them]."  They have no hypocrisy and no guile.   As they are faithful in all things so they receive all things of Him, even Eternal Life.

It is interesting to note that even those who receive the "more sure word of prophecy" or their "calling and election made sure" have a single contingency of remaining faithful -- if they "altogether turn" from their covenants and deny the Holy Ghost they are cast out of Heaven forever, receiving of Christ only the salvation from physical death.  Though they deny Him to His face, yet He saves them in the only way He can.

Jesus is the Messiah

Christ is the way in all cases because only through Him can any form of salvation be given.  He is the Messiah, the Anointed One; there are not two.  There is no other way.  Each is a gift; we cannot earn any part of it; we can only receive salvation by "relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save."  (2 Nephi 31:19)  "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth."  (2 Nephi 2:6)  Jesus is the Messiah.

The Gentle Hand

As a child grows up physically, I seem to be growing spiritually.  Occasionally, I will recognize where I was many years ago and  see changes in my heart happening almost in spite of me.  It happens so slowly and imperceptibly that I don't even notice a bit -- until I look back and see the gentle hand of the Lord in my life. 

The hand of the Lord is so quiet.  It guides so gently.  There is no force or coercion in any way.  Spiritual growth happens just one step at a time.  The way opens up when I am ready to pass through it.  It wasn't there before, but now it's there, like a door that opens from a wall where no door was perceived before.  I always have the choice to go through the door -- or not; it is my own volition.  There is no shove or prod to get me to go through, only a little push like a verbal nudge or pointing out that the way is opened.

"Arrival"

Each time a way is opened, and I go through, there is a sense that I have finally arrived.  I'm there!  I've reached spiritual maturity at last!  But it turns out that I am no more mature spiritually than a three-year-old is physically.  At the age of three children believe they are "big boys and girls."  They are no longer babies that crawl around and have to be fed.  They can do things independently like feed and dress themselves, and no longer need diapers; they have arrived at maturity -- in their own minds.  Many children are very impatient to be "all grown up."

This is the way I have felt about my spiritual growth.  Abraham, arguably the greatest prophet ever, except Jesus, was sixty-two years old when he said, "Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee."  (Abraham 2:12)  Perhaps Abraham thought he had "arrived," but even then he had a lot of growth ahead of him; it was another sixty years before his greatest trial.  He enjoyed the journey up to the Throne of Grace, remaining faithful in all things.

The high road

The way to God may be an uphill climb, but it is a gentle easy slope.  However, I want to "arrive" so badly, that I often forget to enjoy the journey.  I get frustrated that I'm not "perfect" in one area or another.  I get impatient with my weaknesses.  I berate myself and sometimes even get depressed.  The way seems so hard, like a steep, rocky trail that I have to traverse with a heavy pack on my back.  The Lord may tell me to stop, rest, and take the rocks out of my backpack, or take His pack (a very light one indeed), but I'm too busy trying to "get there."  If it is hard, it's because I make it hard.

I don't know why I feel the need to carry rocks in my pack.  They are of no value, but it seems so important to carry them.  They are the things of the world and the needs I "have to" fulfill.  They are the jobs, desires, money, tasks, and other business of life.  They are heavy burdens because I can never get ahead!  I'm always a little behind.  My needs are always just a little greater than what I have.  I'm chasing a carrot-on-a-stick.  I'm almost there, but just can't quite reach.  If I work just a little longer and harder; if I just organize a little better; if I stay up a little later, or if I only had a few more hours in a day I think I could actually fill those needs.  But, as I add more rocks, it only makes the way to God more difficult.

"My burden is light"

Jesus understood this concept clearly.  He knew the full meaning of life when He said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  (Matthew 11:28-30)  His way is easy.  There are no rocks in His pack.  He takes care of the needs so all I am left with is walking up the trail.  He has paved the way.  He is the Pioneer who blazed the trail to God.  I don't have to make it hard because I can let go of my pack entirely and take His.

However, He doesn't take my pack unless I give it to Him.  I have to trust Him enough to stop and take it off.  It's so hard because all those rocks seem so important right now!  He calmly and patiently waits while I sort through each one, trying to decide which I really need, and which I am willing to give up.  Meanwhile, I continue to carry my burden.  He is so kind and gentle.  He only points; there are few words, and none of them are condemning.

I stand in awe and reverence at the gentle hand of the Lord in my own life.  How great He is!  I know now that I'm nowhere near the age of maturity, but I also know that with the help of the Lord I will eventually "arrive" at full maturity.  What a miracle that a heart as rebellious and proud as mine could be changed by such a gentle hand!  It's like a diamond being cut by a flower.

Creation Science

Men are designated as the creator of things.  Men have analytical minds to invent and engineer the things that improve lives.  They also have the physical strength to lift and build, and the finesse to craft the materials needed.  How amazing have been the creations of man!

Women, on the other hand, create people.  Women have the physical ability to fashion a body from two germ cells into trillions of perfectly-integrated cells that form the miraculous human being.  No two are exactly alike, even if they share the exact same genetic code.  She then has the instincts and faculties to nurture a child to maturity.  The infant can feed from her breasts until he has the ability to eat food.  She has the aptitude to teach the child, allowing him to become an independent adult who can then create.  Her sons will be able to create things, and her daughters will be able to create people.

Throughout history men have dominated societies because of their physical strength.  Until the modern era physical strength was required for survival in many ways.  First of all, the work of providing the necessities of life required hard physical labor.  Just as important, though, was protection from the evils of a world where people believed in the "survival of the fittest."  Those who were stronger could overpower the weaker, steal food, goods, and life.  Pillaging the bounty of others was a way of life in all ages.  The strongest and greatest warrior became the king because it was thought he could protect his subjects -- and he could enforce his commands.  Men naturally fit into this role.

Partly for this reason, the administration of society has also been the lot of men.  Also, however, men have the ability to govern because they aren't burdened by caring for children.  They can leave their seed with the woman and have no other contact with children.  They don't need to think about the rising generation at all.  They can continue their work in society uninterrupted.  It's a natural circumstance.

Even in the Church of Jesus Christ it is given to men to "preach the Gospel and administer the ordinances thereof" through the Priesthood.  Women are not given this opportunity.  My wife and I had discussed this topic extensively.  She was very "progressive" in her thinking, assuming that as the Church became more enlightened, the Priesthood would be given to women.  However, soon after our first son was born I arrived home from work and the baby was feeding at her breast.  She looked up and said, "I would rather do this than have the Priesthood any day!"

Most societies in the history of the world have valued physical strength and the invention, creation, and possession of things over the creation of people.  Women were considered a "necessary evil" for gratification of sexual desires and production of children.  Often, the latter was considered an unfortunate side-effect of the former. 

Today, in spite of our supposed enlightenment and civility we continue to value women and their role as less than that of men.  Women are told that they must compete with men for strength, agility, and the creation and possession of things in order to have value.  The creation of people is still not valued.  In the last thirty years we have "legally" killed more babies through abortion than all wars ever fought throughout the history of the world.  Moreover, modern methods of birth-control are sure enough to prevent pregnancy so women are expected to use them. 

The woman's value as a creator of people is depreciated to the point that if she cannot compete with men in the marketplace or in administration she is only good for satisfying men's sexual needs.  This attitude is found as much in women as men in all areas of society.  Women pose for pictures without clothing to earn money from men who want to fantasize an intimate relationship.  Movies, advertising, television shows, and all other media put women on the same level as candy while depreciating their true value as a creator of people.  It's women that drive the "fountain of youth" industries as they try to remain sexually attractive to men.  A woman I know with nine children is often criticized with comments like, "haven't you ever heard of birth control?"  These depreciations mostly come from women.  Women don't even value themselves as creators.

Alphonse Carr stated, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  Though our trappings have changed, we are no more enlightened in our modern society than the Visigoths, Barbarians, Greeks or Romans.  The true measure of civilization is the relative value placed on people over things.  We are as they were.

When our society truly progresses we will eventually become civilized and value people more than things.  At that point the creative abilities of women will be valued more than those of men.  Men will lose their position as "the stronger sex."  We will understand that the creative and nurturing abilities of women have more benefit than the creation and administration of things.  Both are needed, however, enlightenment brings the truth that the woman’s role in the creation of a single human being is a far greater project than all things ever created by men -- combined. 

I believe that there are two paths, either we follow all previous societies to destruction, or we follow the path of wisdom.  Wisdom requires that we have everything -- and everyone -- in their proper place.  True enlightenment will make women the most respected and revered members of society -- "far above rubies."

Worship

When Abraham was taking Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice to God on Mount Moriah, he said to his servants, "I and the lad will go yonder and worship."  (Genesis 22:5)  Abraham must have understood that an essential part of worship is sacrifice.  One of Mahatma Gandhi's seven deadly sins is "worship without sacrifice" because it is empty and hypocritical.  In fact, it could be rightly said that worship is sacrifice, and sacrifice is worship. 

Both Abraham and Isaac were going up into the mountain to worship; both were to make a sacrifice.  In both cases it was the ultimate sacrifice, and thus the highest form of worship.  Jesus reproved the Pharisees for believing they were the children of Abraham because they didn't do as Abraham had done.  "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham."  (John 8:39)   Each must worship God, and serve only Him.  This has been the requirement of the Gospel in all ages. 

Idol worship

The reason we make such sacrifices is because we seek salvation.  We are willing to give up anything to be saved from death, pain, loneliness, starvation, and all other suffering.  In the world we are often promised health, wealth, companionship, or other benefit -- for a price.  When someone promises that we can get what we want we sacrifice everything else for it.  Jesus explained this in His parable about a pearl merchant  who finds the pearl he is seeking and sacrifices everything he has to possess it.

 Isaiah saw our modern world and described it perfectly.  "Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made."  (Isaiah 2:8)  The greater our possessions, the more they begin owning us.  We worship them because we sacrifice everything for them.  I was sitting alone with a very famous and wealthy singer when the front gate called saying his parents were there.  He said, "Tell them I'm not here."  He then proceeded to explain to me that he could trust no one, that everyone only wanted his money.  He was forced to sacrifice his father and mother, and all other relationships for the money he worshipped.

Our idols are the things we worship that are not of God.  The biblical idols of gold and silver are a metaphor for the things we love of the world.  Today they come in the form of cars, boats, houses, computers, toys, phones and other things made with our own hands.  We sacrifice for them.  We give our time and energy to them.  We sacrifice our relationship with our Maker so we can have them instead.  We have to work on Sunday.  We can't afford to pay tithing and other offerings.  In short, we sacrifice God on our alter of the world.

The tests of discipleship

The test of worship is the depth of the sacrifice -- there are levels.  Passing the fifth grade doesn't guarantee you'll pass the sixth.  Each test in life brings us to the next level.  We stop progressing when we cannot pass the next test, but if we pass we move on.  The degree we achieve in this life, and thus the next, is directly related to the level of our sacrifice.  Some are only willing to sacrifice an hour a week to go to church while others will give up more than their own lives – like Abraham.  I'm sure Abraham would have rather died than taken his son up that mountain.

If we are to follow the Lord, Jesus Christ, to Heaven, we must do as He did, namely, worship God with all our hearts.  The sacrifice He made through His Infinite Atonement will never be fully understood by those who follow Him because He saves them from having to go through it themselves.  Thus, the only salvation comes through Him.  In order to take advantage of this ultimate gift the ultimate sacrifice is required, as Jesus said:

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."  (Matthew 10:37-39) 

The "Rich Young Ruler" had kept all the commandments from his youth, but wanted to know what was needed.  Jesus answered, "Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."  (Luke 18:22)  Though this man kept the letter of the law, he missed the spirit of the law, or worship.  Jesus knew what was in his heart, that his wealth was his salvation, and asked him to repent and worship God by making a real sacrifice, but he couldn't.

Worship is sacrifice.  We can worship the things of this world or God, but not both because they are in opposition.  We must worship God or by default we are worshipping idols, there are no other options.  If we seek God, He tells us how to worship Him by gently guiding us through each test.  If we "suffer," or allow, it, we gradually "lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better."  (D&C 25:10)   This is how "the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."  (John 4:23)

Change

In the world there is constant change.  In fact, the only constant is change.  Everything changes from the greatest governments to the smallest micro-environments.  People change, feelings change, needs change, traditions change, people die, accidents and illness happen, disasters happen; indeed all around us is constant change outside of our control.

People don't like change.  Homeostasis is the desired effect in all aspects of our lives from the temperature to events.  Comfort comes from sameness.  Traditions make us think things are the same, and make us think we are in control of these changes.  However, reality can hit hard when things happen to us over which we have no control.  Change comes, wanted or unwanted.  Mostly it's unwanted, from the day-to-day living, to the lifetime events.

Children don't want to grow up.

We don't want to go to bed at night, we want to stay up.  But then --

We don't want to get up in the morning, we want to stay in bed.

We don't want to go out in the cold, we want to stay warm.

We don't want to go to work or school, we want to stay home.

We don't want to move to a new house, we want to stay put.

We don't want our loved ones to leave, we want them to stay nearby.

We don't want to change our relationships, we want them to continue.

We don't want anyone to die, we want them to live forever.

We don't want to try new things, we want to stay with the old ones.

We don't want to change our traditions, we want to stay with the old and comfortable ones.

We don't want to change our ideas, we want them to be true -- always.

Seeking comfort in change

Our body temperature is fairly constant so we like the environment around us to be a constant temperature.  We use lots of energy to keep all our homes and buildings at a stable temperature.  We go from our air-conditioned homes to our air-conditioned cars to our air-conditioned offices and back again, spending only brief moments in the uncomfortable heat outside.

Studies with stress show that change produces more stress hormones; the bigger the change, the more the stress.  One way to bring these hormones down and prevent illness is by turning to tradition.  Going back to the old ways makes us feel that things stay the same.  This may be why when people are stressed by change, they revert to old habits for comfort.  Repetitive chanting or reciting works as well.  We can find comfort in times of change by pretending things are the same.

Homeostasis prevents growth

The "wicked traditions of our fathers" keep us from growing.  As noted above, we use a tremendous amount of energy to keep things the same.  We burn fuel to keep our physical environment stable.  We also use our spiritual energy trying to control our thoughts and ideas.  Because we grow up with a certain way of doing things we assume it is correct.  Often these are things we have tried that work.  For example, we have a culture of using drugs to keep us feeling good.  When we don't feel good we assume there is a drug to bring us back to "normal."  This is taught by our whole society.  As Voltaire said:  "The difference between man and the animals is man's desire to take pills."  He must have tried to give an animal a pill.  But drugs, like all traditions, only briefly make us feel better; they can't hold back the change forever.

A great analogy is found in our society's billion-dollar "fountain-of-youth" industry.  We spend so much time and energy trying to avoid getting old that we never grow up.  Our media worships youth with its looks and strengths.  We want to be "forever young" and supple, strong, nimble and agile.  We want to be able to compete with the children for attention and accolades.  We want to be attractive to others.  We want to avoid the responsibilities of adulthood and find freedom in rebellion.  Again, like all efforts to avoid change, we can only hold it off for so long, even with all of our efforts.  It's only pretending.

When a person with a chronic illness comes into my office, one of the first things I tell them is: "If nothing changes, then nothing is going to change."  This may sound like stating the obvious, but I have found the resistance to change as the primary obstacle to health.  People want to continue the habits they are comfortable with that caused their illness in the first place.  When diabetes was discovered in one man he said, "I'm not giving up my pint of ice cream every night!"  Obese people tell me they want to lose weight without changing their diet.  Some even try drugs and surgery rather than change their habits.  They are still children, driven by their appetites.  They want homeostasis, but it prevents them from becoming mature.

Change produces growth

In order to grow and improve there must be change.  Without change there is no growth in any way -- not physically, spiritually, mentally, or emotionally.

Changes in our physical environment help us to grow.  Children automatically eat more when they are growing, and less when they don't.  Eating a variety of foods helps us to get the nutrients we need.  Moreover, it has been shown that even going without food for a time benefits the body in many ways.  The body is made for feast and famine.  We should not eat the same foods every day.  We should not even eat every day.  We should not do the same activities every day.  We need times of rest as well as times of hard work.  By constantly changing our activities we can grow and improve throughout our lives.

Spiritual growth requires change as well.  In the Scriptures we read how many of the prophets exhibited this change, having to leave their world and travel to a distant "Promised Land."  The journey is mostly long and arduous.  Even arrival in the "Promised Land" didn't bring only peace and prosperity.  The chosen people often experienced moral decay, change, war, and destruction intermingled with times of prosperity.  The spiritual cycle is well-established: the humble recognize their dependence on God and they turn to Him; He then blesses them with prosperity; they then put their trust in their possessions and forget God, causing them to be cursed; they wallow in misery until they are humbled sufficiently to recognize their dependence on God; and the cycle starts again.  These times of feast and famine help people to remember what is really important.

Finding purpose in change

As changes happen in our lives we have the option of trying to oppose them, or to accept them.  We have control over what we think, say, do, eat and so forth, but nothing else.  When we accept responsibility for the things we control, and at the same time accept that things will change over which we have no control we can begin to have a stress-free life.  We don't have to try to pretend things are the same, we can embrace change and still have peace.

The way we do this is by changing our whole purpose.  As children our purpose is homeostasis -- to get our needs met.  However, as adults we can take responsibility for our own growth and development.  As children we were forced to do things we didn't want to do "for our own good."  As adults we can seek learning and growth for the same reason.  Every change that happens to us is an opportunity to grow.  Even a diagnosis of diabetes is an opportunity to gain control of our habits.  Natural disasters are opportunities to help others and grow closer to them.  The death of a loved-one is an opportunity to love others that we wouldn't have otherwise known.  Freud called this "sublimation."  A great example I know is Gloria, who has been a widow for a year.  She found that there were no resources for widowhood.  There are things people need to know when they lose a spouse -- legal issues, financial issues, marriage, dating and many others.  She had nowhere to turn so she started a "school for widows and widowers."  She has appointed experts in many fields who can provide information and services to those who are widowed, and by doing so has embraced the change in her life and grown in power and ability to help others.  The loss of a loved-one turned into the love of many.

The ultimate homeostasis

There is only one possible foundation that never changes.  Jesus Christ is called "the Rock" because He will never change.  "His arm is stretched out still," all the day long.  There is no power that can move Him, or keep us from His love.  He will never let us down.  His promises are sure.  This is absolute and firm, a "firm foundation" of truth.  All our ways of providing homeostasis are temporary or pretend.  This is the real thing.  When we seek the Lord, we are on a firm foundation from which we cannot fall.  The winds will howl around us, the rain will beat down upon us, and the fiery darts of the adversary will prick us, change and decay will surround us, but we will not be moved -- because He isn't.

Paradoxically, we find Him through embracing change and growing up.  The word in the Scriptures is "repentance."  To repent is to change.  Thus, ironically, as we are trying to stay the same, we are avoiding the very thing we desire and seek.  To seek stability, we need to embrace change in ourselves.  There is a prayer that goes:  "Lord, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."  We can only change ourselves, our minds and hearts, our thoughts, words and deeds -- there is wisdom!