Sacrifice

Our pastor today talked about the idea that a sacrifice isn’t really a sacrifice unless it costs you something.  He used 2 Samuel 24:24 as his text for this idea.

The story goes like this, there was a plague on Israel and tens of thousands of people died.  David went to build an altar so he could offer a sacrifice to the Lord.  Araunah offered to give his threshing floor and oxen to David to use as his sacrifice.  David insisted on paying him.  He understood that the sacrifice had to cost him something in order for it to have meaning.

Then the pastor related that to the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us and what that cost the Father.

I’ve been thinking on this throughout the day.  Sacrifices are dead.  However, Paul tells us we are to be living sacrifices. (Romans 12:1-2)We are to be dead to our own selfish desires.  Yet somehow we are to be alive? 

We must sacrifice our body to be transformed from a life of sin to a life that is conformed to God’s will.  We are a special people – a royal priesthood.  (1 Peter)  We are to offer praise and thanksgiving as a form of spiritual sacrifice.  Everything we do should be aligned with God’s will for our lives

What are you going to sacrifice?  Are you going to sacrifice that extra sleep in the morning so you can spend time reading the Word?  Perhaps give up that TV show so you can have a prayer time.

What’s it going to be?

 

Galatians 2:20  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Psalm 51:!7 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Hebrews 13:15-16 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

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