Thursday, April 5th
But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. And David built there an altar to the LORD and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. (1 Chronicles 21:24-26 ESV)
Yesterday, we saw Paul’s admonition to give joyfully.
Today, we see David’s example in giving sacrificially.
David raises an altar for the Lord and Ornan offers David the use of his land, his oxen and even his firewood. But David knows better. He knows that the offerings that please the Lord are costly and sacrificial. So, he responds to Ornan’s generous gift saying, “I will not … offer burnt offerings that cot me nothing.”
How does this apply to our week of prayer and fasting? How does this apply to our new church home?
There are some in our church family who can give hundreds of thousands of dollars while others can give hundreds of dollars. The amount is not important. What matters is the level of sacrifice and generosity in your offering. In fact, a $300 dollar gift may cost some families more than a $300,000 gift costs other families.
A sacrificial, costly gift means giving rather than doing something else with the money. You enter into sacrificial giving when you choose to give rather than using the money to take your family to the movies or give rather than redecorating a room in your house.
Consider how the Lord is calling you to give. Consider David’s refusal to offer the Lord something that costs him nothing.
