Seeking Jesus First Nov. 8, 2024

I won’t bring an offering that costs me nothing!

I was worshipping Jesus and I was engage but distracted. Do you know what I mean? Then the thought came into my heart that pressing into worship would cost me a little more effort than I was currently making. I pressed in and God’s presence filled and flooded me. Then I was reminded of the admonition to, “Worship The LORD in the beauty of holiness.”, and it’s New Testament companion, “The LORD seeks those who worship Him in spirit and truth.” Holiness, or walking in the love of God with others and thus fulfilling His commands, costs me something.

If it costs me nothing, what is the value of my offering? I am speaking of my offering, not the offering of Christ Jesus on the cross. What do I owe Our Father and His Son, Christ Jesus? I owed a debt I could not pay and He paid a debt He did not owe. And yet, what do we owe Him? If we have not given Him everything, then we still owe Him everything. Please don’t argue that we owe no debt to God. At the very least, we owe a debt of gratitude. At the very most, we owe Him our lives. I am not speaking of what He requires. It is what our own faith, hope and love requires of us that I call to account. How do we respond to His unconditional love?

“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 Chronicles 21:23–26, NKJV)

King David’s sin of conducting a census released a plague upon the nation. He was repentant and rushed ahead of the plague to offer sacrifices to God. But he would not offer a sacrifice to God that cost him nothing. His act of repentance reflected his contrite heart. His act did not earn God’s repentance because God is moved by faith. However, the actions of David reflected the faith in his heart; and that it was accepted by God is manifested by God’s response - fire from heaven and the end of the plague.