Worship Devotional - "King David's Understanding of Sacrifice"

Key Scripture: "And the king said to Araunah, 'No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.'" - 2 Samuel 24:24

Reflection

King David understood a profound principle about sacrifice: it must cost us something to be meaningful. When offered the threshing floor for free, David insisted on paying full price because he would not offer to God something that cost him nothing. This principle applies directly to our sacrifice of thanksgiving.

True thanksgiving often requires sacrifice - choosing gratitude when we don't feel like it, praising God when circumstances suggest we should complain, giving thanks when everything in us wants to grumble. This kind of thanksgiving costs us our pride, our right to feel sorry for ourselves, and our natural inclination to focus on problems.