Sacrifice

Earlier this week I came to the end of reading 2 Samuel. At the very end of the book, David is making a sacrifice to atone for sin in his life. He is bringing his relationship with God back to where it should be. When David, as King of Israel, goes to purchase the land for building an alter to sacrifice on, the man who owns the field tries to give it to him, since he is the King. But David says to him,

"No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 2 Samuel 24:24

 So, I wondered, is my sacrifice costing me something? David was speaking in financial terms but sometimes a sacrifice can be costly but not monetary. 

What has your offering to the Lord cost you? What is is costing you now? Maybe the price is:

• Not complaining.  (Philippians 2:14) What if we went through life with a cheerful attitude, even when it's difficult? What if we looked for the good in our circumstances, even when we don't want to.
• Contentment in any circumstances (Philippians 4:12) Instead of wishing for our lives to be different, why not look for ways to grow and be better people right where we are?
• Dying to yourself and living for God (Matthew 16:24-26) If you are going to live a life that matters for the Kingdom of God, He will ask you at some point to make a choice between Him and His path for your life and the path of your own choosing. Which will you choose? Which have you chosen?

Jesus paid a sacrifice that cost Him His life.

I want to challenge you to look at your life. Are you willing to take that challenge? Really look at it. And see if you are just giving 'lip-service' to being a Christian or are you really living like one. If you really want to live for God, if you really want to live by your Bible, you will be able to see the areas where you have sacrificed and the areas where you are working on it. I know that for me, dealing with my pride is a sacrifice that I work on making on a daily basis. I would in no way say that I am finished in this area, but I work daily at it. And it is a sacrifice for me!

I would like to share a story here with you about a woman that I know who made a great sacrifice. This woman is my sister Sarah. Here is a picture of the two of us together:

First off, she is one of the most Faithful people I know! She has an amazing testimony of physical sickness and of God's Faithfulness in healing her! To say that she greatly desires to have a child of her own, would be an understatement! About 10 years ago, she and her husband tried to adopt a little boy and it didn't turn out well for them in the end. But she is NOT bitter at God. She presses on! She still claims God's promises in His Word for her life. She is a woman of Praise and of Prayer! She is an inspiration to many people! I would love to have you 'hop' on over to her blog and read her story of letting go of her little boy. I pray that you are encouraged by it.

Saying Good-bye

God Bless ~ Shannon

PS - Joy Is Found In Him is now on Facebook! You can find us HERE.