Consider this for a moment, in a moment of pride, King David defied the will of God and took a census of Israel. God’s Word says that David’s heart was troubled and then he confessed his sin to God. God then told David what his options were. In the end, 70,000 died for David’s sin. Can you imagine the weight on David’s heart? His sin cost 70,000 lives! I think if David would have accepted Araunah’s offer to supply the necessary items for David’s sacrifice, it would have been utterly and completely rejected.
How often do we come to God with something that is of no value to us? I am not talking about getting a paycheck, paying all your bills, having a little fun, and then giving God the little that remains; or even giving God the firstfruits. What I am talking about is how often we give God the leftovers of our lives. We spend an hour or two in church on Sunday, maybe even three hours. We flip open our Bibles for a measly few minutes a day. We might even study God’s Word in depth. But, truly, what are we really giving to God? A few minutes of prayer, a few hours of time, a “here you go, God. I’ll go this far, but don’t expect anymore for right now.” Or, how about how we give God enough of our heart to ease our guilt, but we hold enough to have our fun “before we get serious about God.”
In case you missed it, sacrifice means giving up something. In case you missed it, sacrifice demands something of the one giving the sacrifice. In case you missed it, sacrifice demands something of the thing being sacrificed. Can you imagine a lamb negotiating with the priest as too how much it is willing to give in sacrifice – one or two legs at most, some wool at best, but not the whole life? But, how often do we tell God what He is to take in the sacrifice? Worse yet, how often are we willing to sacrifice someone else’s stuff in place of our own? Who out there can not say that the thought of having everything ready for the offering of sacrifice provided by someone else does not sound appealing? You know the feeling. It is like when you have to go and buy something for the company, and it is a lot easier to buy it because it is not your money.
God desires the sacrifice of the heart – yours and mine. He desires the real deal. How can we truly say we love God and serve God when we give to Him a scrawny, deformed lamb? How can we say that we truly love God when we hold back the best? How can we not give God all we have – to surrender our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our bodies to Him?
Too many times in my own life I have offered God something that cost me little to nothing. Too many times I have robbed God of the glory of sacrifice. Too many times I have cheated God. Is it not time for you and I to start giving to God a gift worthy of Him? Is it not time for us to give all of myself – yourself – to God so that He can do with us as He will? If you are praying for revival in your church and home, and even if you are not, the time is now for us to give to God something that costs us deeply. Will you? Will I?
I pray that we will.
04/21/2008, 21:56
Sad isn't it? A good word, brother. "Selfishness is the reigning sin of the world. He who cannot deny his life for Christ, will deny Christ. Without self-denial, we can never come up to Christ's terms. If the world cannot be denied—Christ cannot be trusted. If the will is not denied—Christ cannot be obeyed. Therefore, self-denial is of as absolute necessity as heaven." The Duty of Self-Denial by Thomas Watson, 1675