It Will Cost You...

In 2 Samuel 24:24 King David makes a very profound statement, but before I tell you what he said let me give you some background on what was going on.  So King David had committed a sin against God (I'm not going to tell you what he did I want you to read it on your own lol) and God punished him by sending a 3-day plague over his entire kingdom. When the plague ended David was instructed to build an altar on Araunah's property.  So David in no position to be disobedient [again] set out to Araunah's land.  When the king and his entire entourage rolled up on Araunah's property you can only imagine this mere commoner's  face. He bowed and asked David of what honor did he owe for the King to visit him. David said he wanted to buy his threshold to build an altar. Araunah does what any of us would have done he offers his threshold for free to the King. Nice gesture right? Now here's where David says something that really stuck with me. He thanked Araunah for his generosity but declined the offer by saying, "I couldn't offer a sacrifice to God that doesn't cost me anything"

"I couldn't offer a sacrifice to God that doesn't cost me anything"

Wow. That one sentence speaks volumes!!! Now of course David already had a grateful spirit at this point since God spared his life...which made him even more more determined to pay God back any way he could.  However, this mentality should be used whether we're in good standing with God or not. Our sacrifices for God should always cost something....if not its not really a sacrifice.

This scripture really speaks to me on a personal level because I can't count the times I've placed God around my life as opposed to placing my life  around God. Spending time with God and being involved in Church is awesome.....as long as its convenient for you. But what about those times when it's not? What about when your friend got you tickets to go see Beyonce` in concert but you promised to teach Sunday School to the kids the same day?  Or for the fellas, someone offered you tickets to see your favorite football team?  For most this isn't even a question of what you would do lol.  But all jokes aside, is God not worth more than Beyonce` or a football game?  We HAVE to get back to the place where our worship is based on sacrifice. Sacrifice means that sometimes we'll have to give up those things that we love the most just to show God that we love Him more.  Believe me this is easier said than done, and that Beyonce` situation is a bit extreme, but it does put things in perspective.  It's not fair of us to demand so much of God, and in return give Him so little.  Especially when the little we do give, still somehow benefits us in the end.  Hmm...now how does that happen? lol  When we love someone so much, we drop everything for them.  Their needs come before ours and we will do anything to show our level of love and commitment for them.....but for some reason....we don't go as hard for Christ.  Why is that?

"You prove your highest level of commitment when you choose one thing over something else."

You prove your highest level of commitment when you choose one thing OVER something else.  Sorry guys, I'm really preaching to myself right now.  I've been finding myself fighting to put my phone down or turn my TV off just so I can spend time with Him and allow Him to feed my soul.   I mean I'm worried about missing an episode of Basketball Wives where (none of them are married mind you) just to sit and read my Bible which literally breathes life into me.  Sounds kinda dumb when I write it out, I know. lol 

You know what else?  Sacrifice doesn't just mean time.  Sacrifice could also mean choosing to not go to certain places...or even worse---who you've been choosing to go to these places with.  Yup, sacrifice is so much more than spending time with God, it's a lifestyle.  Just like your faithful husband/wife wouldn't want you hanging out all night at a strip club, God doesn't want you there either.  Even when everyone else is doing it--correction, especially when everyone else is doing it.  This life of faithfulness to Christ will have to cost you, but it's all so God can give you back more than what you've lost. 

Every time I hear the word sacrifice it reminds me of Abraham, and how he was ready to kill his son, the VERY thing he BEGGED God for...just to show God he loved Him more. I can't say I have a heart like Abraham's just yet, but I'm striving for it everyday.  Jesus committed the ultimate sacrifice by being tortured and murdered on a cross for us...and guess what? Even if He had to go through all of that just for you, one person......He still would have done it. Talk about sacrifice! Christ died just so that we could have the opportunity to be in direct contact with Himself, the creator of life, the planets and the stars, but yet we still struggle with "finding time" to spend with Him. Now that I've called us (myself included) out on this....let's strive to develop an attitude like King David, where we dear not offer God a sacrifice that doesn't cost us anything.  "For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, all so I could gain Christ." -Philippians 3:8


-Leah  



 Bible Study
*For more on "Sacrifice" check out these scriptures:
2 Samuel 24:21-24
Deuteronomy 6:5
Philippians 3:8
Romans 12:1-2