After God's Own HeartSýnishorn

TRUE SACRIFICE

My grandad used to have a saying: “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing right.” We would be assembling some new toy, and I would want to disregard the instructions and throw it together quickly so I could play with it. In those moments, he would look at me and say “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing right.” At the time, I did not really grasp his meaning, but as the years have gone by I have realized he was absolutely right. Anything that we deem as worth doing is likely something we would sacrifice our time, effort, energy, money, and focus to do the right way. As believers, we know one of our greatest callings is to worship God and declare His greatness. For us, worship falls plainly in the category of things worth doing. So how do we do it right?

In 2 Samuel 24, we learn an important lesson about worship from the life of King David. The story begins with David’s choice to disobey God by taking a census of Israel, which God had specifically prohibited for the nation of Israel. David’s sin brings consequences for the nation, and God tells David to choose between three punishments: three years of famine, three years of fleeing enemies, or three days of plague. David chooses three days of plague, and consequently, 70,000 Israelites perish. In an effort to end the plague, David goes to build an altar on the threshing floor of a man named Araunah. Araunah offers the King his threshing floor for free, but David replies “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing” (v. 24). So David buys the threshing floor, builds the altar, worships the Lord, and the plague is averted from Israel.

In this passage, we learn a key truth about the nature of worship: worship requires sacrifice. David refuses to offer a sacrifice to the Lord which costs him nothing. He knows his worship is important, and he knows God deserves the best he has to offer. As believers, the value we place on worship will always be determined by what we are willing to put into it.

So, what does this mean for us? Maybe this is simply a reminder that God deserves the best we have. Maybe it is a chance to reflect on how we can better honor the Lord with our time, our money, our energy, and our praise. This week, let us seek ways to worship the Lord sacrificially, giving Him the best we have to offer.

ASK YOURSELF: What are the different ways you can worship God? How can you worship sacrificially this week?