David was following the Lord’s command to build an altar to the Lord on Araunah’s threshing floor. Araunah, seeing that this was the King requesting use of his threshing floor, insisted that David use it without cost. Araunah even offered to provide the sacrifice and the tools.
However, David realizes the importance of the sacrifice and replied, “No, I insist on buying it, for I cannot present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24)
Worship is work, it is sacrifice, and it is costly. We should not enter into His presence without first preparing and expect to have a meaningful, intimate worship time. Worship takes preparation; preparing our hearts, spending time alone with God during the week, talking with Him and listening to Him. Worship also demands sacrifice. As we see in Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.” (NIV)
We must be willing to sacrifice our “rights”, our wants, our desires, in order to allow God’s will to be accomplished. Worship takes time and effort as does anything that truly has worth.
What did your “offering” of worship cost you this week? Did you have to die to yourself? Obeying God rather than your own will? The daily discipline of preparation for worship is work, and is often difficult. Are we willing to do what it takes to give God His due in our worship; or do we walk in rushed, unprepared, unfocused, having not spent any quality time with Him at all this week?
Beginning Wednesday February 10th and continuing through Easter Sunday, April 4th the season of Lent will be taking place. Lent is the time of preparation for Easter. During this time, as we remember Christ’s sacrifice for us we are encouraged to do likewise and sacrifice something in our lives that we are attached to. As we do this, it helps us to better recognize our dependence on those things and frees us from that dependence so that we can better focus on our dependence on Him and His control of and in our lives. This year our senior staff is committing to “let go” of at least one thing during this time and we want to encourage you to do the same. It won’t be easy, but that’s why it’s called sacrifice.
As an act of bowing in reverence before our great God, let’s purpose in our hearts that we will give our best to the Master, day in and day out, and say like David, “I will not present to the Lord that which costs me nothing.”
With you on the journey,
Pastor MJ
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