For Thy Experience

What kinds of things have you been asked to sacrifice during your life?
For most of us the sacrifices we have been asked to make are small in the long-run. Most of us are not asked to forsake our families, our homes, and our livelihoods. Most of us are not asked to sacrifice millions of dollars. But there are some that have been asked to do that.
In the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, there have been many people who have sought to do the will of the Lord and have been asked to sacrifice everything that they have in order to build their testimonies and their faith in Christ. Some of these are the pioneers. The Mormon pioneers left everything behind in order to follow the prophet of God just like the Israelites left Egypt to follow Moses. The Israelites also followed Joshua into foreign lands because the Lord commanded them to. They were obedient. They did the things that they were asked to because they trusted the Lord and knew that He would bless them for their efforts and their strict obedience.
Just like the Mormon pioneers, we have pioneers around us everyday. They are people who understand the command of the Lord to 'trust in [Him] with all [their] heart...' (Proverbs 3:5) They are people who move forward with the faith and trust that the Lord will never lead them astray but will guide them in the paths of righteousness and in the way that they are supposed to go.
The sacrifices that the Lord asks us to make are for our good and our benefit. He loves us and will never ask us to sacrifice things that will not teach us and help us to learn and grow. In the Doctrine and Covenants 122:7,9 the Lord says, "all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good...therefore, fear not...for God shall be with you forever and ever."
A favorite Old Testament scripture of mine is 1 Samuel 17:47. It says, "...the battle is the Lord's..."
The Lord will fight our battles for us as we are obedient and seek to do His will in all things. He will make our sacrifices worth it.