Letter From The Pastor

“The king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’”
- 2 Sam. 24:24

2 Samuel 24 closes with the account of King David preparing to build an altar to the Lord following a
grievous sin. (Perhaps take a few minutes now to read the chapter so you can understand the verse above in
its proper context.) Araunah heard what the king needed and immediately offered the king everything
necessary in order to complete the task – free of charge. David’s response is the stuff of legends: “I will not
sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

Even as I say his response is the stuff of legends, I realize the inaccuracy of such a statement for such a
heart attitude should not be legendary (inspiring, but unauthenticated). Instead, a refusal to offer God
sacrifices that have cost us nothing should be the standard of every child of God who has even a glimpse of
the man’s true condition and God’s amazing grace. Now I realize that many who are reading this are already
all over it. Their commitment to Christ and to His kingdom clearly demonstrates their understanding that He is
worthy of our very best in all ways and at all times. In fact, even reading the passage above has someone
thinking, “Well, I’m already spending 20 hours each week volunteering in ‘Kingdom work,’ but I think I can
squeeze another 3 hours out for Jesus each week if I just eat while I shower.” Those of you in that camp
might do well to recall that God isn’t wowed by our sacrifice; instead, He delights in our obedience. (See 1
Samuel 15 for details). Some of us, however, would do well to ponder David’s declaration a little longer as it
relates to the offerings we bring.

To illustrate: Over the winter I joined a club. It’s a club whose values I support. It is filled with nice and
somewhat nerdy people who make me feel at home. The out-of-pocket costs to join were affordable, and the
required hours of volunteerism is low. Sounds perfect! I can say I’m a member AND do the absolute minimum
required of me. Can you guess what my contribution has been since joining? Exactly. The membership fee.
I’m embarrassed to say I have fallen into the mindset of our culture that asks, “What is the absolute least I can
do and still ‘belong’?” And that, my dear brothers and sisters, is the heart attitude that David was warring
against as he was preparing to bring his offering to the Lord. “Here, take this for your offering. It’s free.” Or
“Do this instead. It’s easy.”

For us today, the temptation may present differently, but it remains a tripping hazard in our walk with
Christ, so we must be on guard. “Hey, hold on,’ the Enemy whispers. “That area of service requires weekly or
monthly involvement. Take this path. It only meets twice a year.” Or, “A Bible study sounds like a
commitment that I just can’t squeeze into my week (after my gym time, my tree stand, my time with the
grands, my endless scrolling, my yard work, my team practice schedule, etc.), but I have four minutes left over
if I can just find the right devotional app.” Perhaps it’s a “Tithes AND offerings? Are You kidding me? Well,
God, You know I’ve got bills to pay, but if I have anything left at the end of the week, I’ll be happy to throw
some of that into the plate for You.” Or maybe a, “Worship weekly? Seriously? Sunday’s are my only day
off.” You get the idea. And perhaps you - like me - are wishing you didn’t relate as well as you do.
To the cries of a crowd wondering, “What’s the least I can do and still ‘belong?” Jesus declared, “if anyone
comes after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” He declares it still today. Christ-
follower, is our level of commitment to our great Savior one of convenience or one that is costly?