I Will Not Give That Which Costs Me Nothing

I Will Not Give That Which Costs Me Nothing

I cannot present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing. –2 Samuel 24:24

I started working in my dad’s drugstore as soon as I could stand on a box and reach the cash register. The first big thing I bought with the money I earned was a bicycle. I took good care of that bicycle because I had worked so hard for it—probably better than I would have if it had been given to me. It’s just human nature that we value what we sacrifice for.

Our willingness to sacrifice in pursuit of God reflects just how precious he is to us. And likewise, if he is not precious to us, perhaps it is because we have never sacrificed anything for him. While we may give lip service to our desire to go deeper with God, our willingness to sacrifice for it reveals whether or not our desire is genuine.

Perhaps the painful truth is that while we accept that we may have to sacrifice, we think we should be able to select what the sacrifice will be and the degree to which it will cost us. We want to stay in control of the cost. We simply don’t want to become “a living sacrifice.”

God doesn’t require sacrifice because he is needy or demanding, but because he knows we need to sacrifice. Sacrifice sharpens our character, refines our faith, deepens our commitment. While it is not always a pleasant process, it is ultimately a glorious one. And as we go deeper, we discover that sacrifice becomes a sweet surrender—not because we’re masochists and enjoy pain for its own sake, but because we learn by experience that the intimacy it gives us with him is more valuable than anything it may have cost.

Perhaps instead of remaining disillusioned by what God has withheld from you, you need to ask yourself what you have withheld from him. Going deeper will cost you something—maybe getting up early instead of lingering in bed, tithing on your gross income and not just your net, teaching a Sunday school class instead of sitting in one. Your sacrifice sends God the message that you are serious about seeking him, which he will reward with his very presence.

Precious Jesus, with every sacrifice I make for you, you become more valuable to me and I sense a growing nearness to you. Show me what you want me to let go of so I can come closer to you.

DIGGING DEEPER