In addition to remembering the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Church members offer their own sacrifice: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. The Savior said: “Ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away. . . . 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” (3 Nephi 9:19-20).
To have a broken heart and a contrite spirit is to be humble and receptive to the will of God and to the counsel of those He has called to lead His Church. It also means to feel deep sorrow for sin and a sincere desire to repent.
D & C 59:8 8 Thou shalt offer a asacrifice unto the Lord thy God in brighteousness, even that of a broken heart and a ccontrite spirit.
the law of sacrifice had been introduced to Adam and Eve to help them understand the mission and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2000/04/living-the-law-of-sacrifice?lang=eng A great talk on sacrifice by Brough given at BYU
Areas of sacrifice
Broken Heart and contrite spirit
tithing
obedience
missionary work
temple service
example
tribulation
He also had an excellent story about how his company had a retreat, at the retreat took everyone to a comedians show whom had very foul language. He got up and walked out. No one congratulated him but talked behind his back. But in the future they were careful what they got for entertainment again.
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Covenants made by Church members embrace the commitment to sacrifice all for the kingdom of God. Examples of willingness to sacrifice are legion among early Latter-day Saints who sacrificed homes, comforts, and even their lives for their beliefs. Prior to his martyrdom, Joseph Smith knew that he was going as "a lamb to the slaughter" (D&C 135:4). Sacrifices made by Mormon pioneers to establish the Church in the western United States have become legendary. And sacrifices are still required of Latter-day Saints. For instance, faithful members pay one-tenth of their income as tithing to the Church, contribute financially to mission funds, and give fast offerings for the poor. Missionaries spend one or two years preaching the gospel at their own or their families' expense while delaying education, employment, marriage, or retirement. Members serve their congregations-without pay-in assigned lay positions that make possible the operation of Church programs. It is service to others through formal callings and through personal concern for their Welfare that leads Church members to know that "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven"
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https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/10/the-law-of-sacrifice?lang=eng Ballard
The law of sacrifice provides an opportunity for us to prove to the Lord that we love Him more than any other thing. As a result, the course sometimes becomes difficult since this is the process of perfection that prepares us for the celestial kingdom to “dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever” (D&C 76:62).
Sacrifice allows us to learn something about ourselves—what we are willing to offer to the Lord through our obedience.
the word sacrifice means literally “to make sacred,” or “to render sacred.”
How
is it we show the Lord that we have symbolically put ourselves upon
today’s sacrificial altar? We show Him by living the first great
commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37).
When we overcome our own selfish desires and put God first in our lives
and covenant to serve Him regardless of the cost, we are then living
the law of sacrifice.
One
of the best ways to be sure we are keeping the first great commandment
is to keep the second great commandment. The Master Himself taught that
“inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40) and that “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).
The degree of our love for the Lord and for our fellowman can be
measured by what we are willing to sacrifice for them. Sacrifice is a
demonstration of pure love.
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Joseph Smith taught: "a religion that does not require the sacrifice of
all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary
unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith
necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be
obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things." (Lectures on
Faith, 6th lecture, paragraph 7)
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Today we are not called to pull handcarts through the snow-swept
plains of Wyoming. However, we are called to live, foster, and teach
the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our privilege to invest our means
and our time to bless others. Each one of us must do all we can to
preserve our Latter-day Saint way of life. A vital part of this
preservation is a willingness to set aside personal desires and
replace them with unselfish sacrifice for others. (Ensign, May 1992, 75) Ballard
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Brother
Truman G. Madsen tells about a visit he made to Israel with President
Hugh B. Brown, an Apostle of the Lord who served as both Second and
First Counselor in the First Presidency. In a valley known as Hebron,
where tradition has it that the tomb of Father Abraham is located,
Brother Madsen asked President Brown, “What are the blessings of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?” After a short moment of thought, President
Brown answered, “Posterity.”
Brother
Madsen writes: “I almost burst out, ‘Why, then, was Abraham commanded
to go to Mount Moriah and offer his only hope of posterity?’
“It
was clear that [President Brown], nearly ninety, had thought and prayed
and wept over that question before. He finally said, ‘Abraham needed to
learn something about Abraham’” (The Highest in Us [1978], 49).
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