A Sacrifice of Appreciation, Not Payment

A Sacrifice of Appreciation, Not Payment


“But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.’ So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.” — 2 Samuel 24:24 (NLT)


Just as Araunah freely offered his threshing floor to David and even provided oxen for the burnt offering, along with the threshing boards and ox yokes for firewood, God has freely given us salvation and everything we need for life and godliness through the death and resurrection of Christ. We do not have to make sacrifices or payments before receiving the gift of salvation and the blessings God has provided. We receive them simply by faith.


However, David insisted on paying for Araunah’s threshing floor and oxen. He declared that he would not offer burnt offerings to the Lord that cost him nothing. In the same way, while we do not pay for what God has freely given to us in Christ, we demonstrate our appreciation by offering our lives and possessions to Him as sacrifices of gratitude. We honour the gift of God’s only begotten Son by living for Christ and serving Him faithfully.


It is good to show appreciation for the gifts we receive. Whatever is valuable yet unappreciated will eventually be lost. God desires that we offer something valuable—not as payment for what He has already given, but as an expression of appreciation for its importance in our lives.


We must be willing to offer what is valuable to us to receive what is valuable to God. This may involve surrendering what we love for the things that He loves. It may require sacrificing personal loyalties to demonstrate our loyalty to God so that He can reveal His secrets to us and entrust His treasures into our hands.


At times, it means denying ourselves bodily pleasures for the sake of eternal truths, spiritual growth, and the power of God. Through prayer, fasting, and meditation on His Word, we place value on the things of the Spirit. When we deny our flesh in fasting, we demonstrate our desire for spiritual growth, deeper knowledge of God, and a greater measure of His anointing upon our lives.


When God makes a demand upon our lives, it is often because of something precious He has already given to us and wants us to value more deeply. These sacrifices are not payments but acknowledgements of the necessity of His gifts in our lives. We must continually seek God through prayer, fasting, and meditation on His Word because without His presence and power, we cannot become all that He intends us to be or fulfil His purpose for our lives.


The greater the gift God has given, the greater the value He expects us to place upon it. What God freely gave through the sacrifice of His Son will also require from us a sacrifice of appreciation. God offered His precious Son for our salvation, and in response, He calls us to offer ourselves to Him—to live for Him and serve Him all the days of our lives.


Therefore, when God makes a demand on our lives or on what belongs to us for His glory, He is not overstepping His bounds. He has already given His Son as the ultimate sacrifice to redeem us and make us His own.


Just as God chose the Levites from among the Israelites to serve Him in place of all the firstborn sons, so He has set apart His people for Himself. On the day God struck down the firstborn of Egypt, He consecrated every firstborn in Israel to Himself, both human and animal. Later, He took the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel, declaring that they belonged to Him.


In the same way, through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son on the cross, God has redeemed us and set us apart for Himself. Those who have given their lives to Christ belong to God. They are His possession, set apart for His glory. Therefore, God has the right to call upon them to offer themselves and what they have as living sacrifices for His service and glory. 


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