What does it cost you?

 "I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing"

2 Samuel 24:24 (ESV): 

This is a statement David makes towards the end of 2 Samuel and it got me thinking;

1. How do you offer things to God?
2. If so, what is the cost?

When David was around, an offering would of been made in the form of a sacrificed animal. This offering could be for a variety of reasons - atone for sin, to say thank you to God, to celebrate the keeping of a promise to God and many more. For us, it is different because Jesus put himself in the place of one of those animals and sacrificed himself. He is our sin offering and our thank offering as well as all else. He sacrificed the greatest thing - his own life to save ours. 

So, if Jesus has paid all the cost, do we even need to offer God anything? I mean, if Jesus paid it all, what can we offer? Is there any point in us making ourselves uncomfortable or inconveniencing ourselves for God when Jesus has done far above what we could achieve? 

I mean, the ultimate sacrifice has been made by Jesus. We can't offer anything as incredible as Jesus did, and it's not essential to offer God things, but surely, considering the depth of love God has shown us requires a response?

If someone has shown us love, or favour, then we naturally want to respond and show our appreciation to them. So, how do we do that for God? In response to His great love, to His great mercy, what can we actually give Him?

I know many Christians who faithfully give money to God. They regularly set aside part of their income to give to God - this is a good thing, it honours God, but does it actually 'cost' you? 

Obviously there's a financial impact, but most budget around it and it doesn't become an inconvenience. I'm not saying that it necessarily should, or that you should get into debt (I don't think God would want that) but it is possible to give, even generously, and not really feel it. Not really feel the pinch or the difficulty. 

Unlike the widow giving her mite - she gave all she had, she had nothing for herself. It was a true sacrifice. I'm not saying that we should all do that, go bankrupt, into debt or starve in order to give to God, but there is something in the obedience and sacrifice that we see in the widow that we admire. She displays a reliance, security and honour in her sacrificial giving.

Giving to God isn't all about financial giving either. In fact in this scripture in 2 Samuel, it's about building a place of remembrance- of setting up a memorial as well as making a sacrifice. So, there are clearly different ways to sacrifice to God. It could be serving on a team, helping a neighbour, extending your hospitality, or giving up something - laying down a reliance in other things that, at heart, you know do you no good. 

Sacrifice to God, like David says, shouldn't be something that, "cost me nothing". We should feel it, but in a healthy way, like the first time you start a new activity, it stretches us and might ache a bit, but we know it does us good. 

Giving to God does us good. 

It causes us to grow in character, to extend ourselves, to discover new skills and gifts, to grow aspects of our personality. 

God doesn't actually need us to do anything, but once we realise something of what God has done for us, the response of our heart should be to honour Him with the resources we have. 

So.....

How do you sacrifice to God? 

What do your offerings cost you?

PS

'A generous person will prosper'

Proverbs 11:25