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)