I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing . . .

23 Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all.” 24 But 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, or offer a burnt offering which cost me nothing.” 2 Chronicles 21:23-24

I will not offer up to the Lord that which costs me nothing. There is an awesome song written by Nolan Williams which is based upon these words. These are words which have been ringing in my head these last couple of days. As you know I have missed writing a couple of days and have been considering changing to writing only three times a week so that I may have more time to live, to do the work I have to do, to study and to accomplish all that I have to do each day.

I mentioned my possible plans to Momma P last night. She quickly advised me not to stop or cut back. Instead she encouraged me to continue and to be even more consistent in my writing. And then these words came back to my mind.

“I will not offer a burnt offering which cost me nothing.”

If you read the words written in the first part of the chapter you will see that David had done wrong, and the angel of the Lord was preparing to destroy Jerusalem. David saw the angel standing between heaven and the earth. God instructed the angel to tell David to go and make an offering to God on the threshing floor Ornan. But there was a little problem. David did not own the threshing floor. He had to get it to give it away. Although Ornan was willing to give it away, David insisted on paying for it. It would be no sacrifice to the Lord from him, David, if he did not.

I have not walked right before the Lord myself. I have made decisions which have cost my family dearly. I have stopped from doing things that I knew God would have me do. I have not done right when I should have. Can you relate? Do you understand? Do you, like me see yourself in David?

And then God calls you to give out of your own need. He calls you to offer up a sacrifice. It was not about giving money to Ornan. It was about giving back to God. When it would all be done David would have nothing. The threshing floor would be the Lord's. The offering would have gone up in smoke and David would have walked away.

But I am wrong. David would have something.

“Then David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.” 2 Chronicles 21:26-27

The sacrifice that the Lord calls you to give is just as much a blessing to God as it is a blessing to the other person and to you. You receive the blessing from obedience in your life. He commands the angel to put his sword back into its sheath.

Do you know of something God has been calling you to do and you have been delaying? Stop delaying and do it. You know it is going to cost you something. Well, it is supposed to cost you something. You know it is going to cost you dearly. Well, yes it will.

It will also bless you greatly.

Don't look for the out, before people or God. Be willing to loose it all for Him. He rewards those who do. He rewards those who trust in Him. There is a lot of forgiveness tied up in that sacrifice . . . forgiveness for you. Get to it.

Forgive me for missing these last days. I am not stopping. I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing.

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