Sacrifice

Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

     2 Samuel 24:24 (NKJV)

Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing."

     1 Chron. 21:24 (NKJV)

David believed he should not offer anything to God without cost to himself.  Similarly, sacrifice is essential in whatever we offer to God—in worship, service or giving--should cost us something.   We let go of our will and our ego when we follow Christ.  We are to think of others and their needs before our own.  We are to give of ourselves (our time, talent, treasure, resources), without considering what we might lose or miss or have to give up. We are to defer to others and their preferences.

I recently read a book by Elisabeth Elliot and she said she had this quote (attributed to Pr. Ugo Bassi) on her wall:

                                                 “Measure thy life by loss instead of gain;

not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured forth;

for love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice, and

whoso suffers most hath the most to give.”

Of course, the greatest example of this kind of loving sacrifice is Jesus.  On this Good Friday, we marvel that He who was sinless became sin for us, that He paid the penalty we deserved in order to set us free. 

Remembering the price our Savior paid for us should stir our hearts to want to offer everything to Him regardless of the cost to ourselves.  Let us measure our lives by loss instead of gain.