Giving Thanks and Offering Sacrifice

As I was reading from the beginning of the Book of Mormon (specifically the first 7 chapters) I noticed something that I hadn't before. There were three different times that it referenced giving an offering or a sacrifice to the Lord along side giving thanks:

1 Nephi 2:7

And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God.


1 Nephi 5:9

And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.

1 Nephi 7: 22

And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent of our father. And after I and my brethren and all the house of Ishmael had come down unto the tent of my father, they did give thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him.


I find it amazing how many times Nephi records how grateful and blessed he feels. He has left his home in Jerusalem, with all it's worldly comforts and conveniences, and is living in the wilderness. Despite this, they still gave thanks often and offered sacrifice unto the Lord (when they've already sacrificed their home and the life they knew).

But what better way to give thanks to the Lord than by offering a sacrifice to Him? While we may not give burnt offerings or animal sacrifice, it is still a very appropriate way for us to show our thanks and love towards God. We can offer our time by studying His word, spending time in prayer with our Heavenly Father, magnifying our calling, and serving His children. We can show thanks through fasting in which we sacrifice something that our body needs. We can offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Above all, to show our thanks and love for the Lord, we can offer up our will to Him.

What a great blessing it is to be able to sacrifice in our lives. It is an opportunity to become more like our Savior. It's amazing to me that when we give up something we receive blessings in so many aspects of our lives - which is worth much more than what we gave up.

God is good.