Reason #807
There is a cost to everything in life. A cost for every choice we make. A cost for our decisions and actions. And although some things cost more than others, you'll always pay something.
I've got money on the mind, which you're well aware of if you've read my posts lately. Aaron and I are at that point in life where we really have to weigh the costs of our actions. Are we going to spend, save, splurge, or bargain shop? How much is too much? What would be reasonable? Can we afford it? Are we willing to take the hit? Questions we have to ask ourselves because we have an idea of what we want our future to look like and we know that it will cost us something to get there.
But sometimes the cost isn't just money. Sometimes it's time, it's desires, reputation, recognition, relationships, growth, opportunities, and so on. Sometimes it's a hard decision to make because you can't put a dollar sign on it. You can't "save up" or "finance" every decision. The cost isn't tangible and sometimes it's not recoupable. You may not be able to get it back, and you may not realize the actual cost until you've made your choice. But sometimes, even though it seems it may be costing us a lot, really, we're gaining much more than we're giving up.
At the end of 2 Samuel, King David heads up to build an alter for the Lord. Long story short, a lot of crazy things were happening in Israel and so David goes to build the alter to offer a burnt offering and peace offering to the Lord so that the plague will stop. He ends up building the alter on another man's (Araunah) threshing floor. Of course, you can imagine how this man felt when the King showed up on his doorstep to request the use of his property. And, honestly, David was King so I am pretty sure he could have just taken it regardless of whether or not the man wanted him to. But he asked if he could buy the threshing floor to build the altar, and the man offered it to him free of charge. And not only did he offer the threshing floor for free, he also threw in the oxen and wood, too. I have no idea how much this would have cost the man, but I can imagine it would be significant. He was willing making a sacrifice so that David could sacrifice to the Lord, and notice he never asked for a penny.
But David knew that making a sacrifice was always a sacrifice and he said, "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) There's always a cost. Either way, one man was going to pay a cost to sacrifice to the Lord yet notice that both were completely willing to do so. And maybe it's because they realized that any sacrifice we make to the Lord, any "cost" we incur to follow Him, doesn't even compare to what we gain. We never lose anything that we offer to the Lord, rather we end up with more than we ever imagined. More peace, more blessings, more comfort, more joy. The benefits far outweigh the cost, and David and Araunah both knew that.
There is a cost to live for the Lord, and there's a cost to live apart from the Lord. Regardless of which path you choose, a price will be paid. But when you realize that Jesus already sacrificed to pay your price, the decisions becomes pretty clear on which path is the most cost effective.
#807 - Because Jesus sacrificed to pay our price.
"God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world." - 1 Corinthians 7:23
I've got money on the mind, which you're well aware of if you've read my posts lately. Aaron and I are at that point in life where we really have to weigh the costs of our actions. Are we going to spend, save, splurge, or bargain shop? How much is too much? What would be reasonable? Can we afford it? Are we willing to take the hit? Questions we have to ask ourselves because we have an idea of what we want our future to look like and we know that it will cost us something to get there.
But sometimes the cost isn't just money. Sometimes it's time, it's desires, reputation, recognition, relationships, growth, opportunities, and so on. Sometimes it's a hard decision to make because you can't put a dollar sign on it. You can't "save up" or "finance" every decision. The cost isn't tangible and sometimes it's not recoupable. You may not be able to get it back, and you may not realize the actual cost until you've made your choice. But sometimes, even though it seems it may be costing us a lot, really, we're gaining much more than we're giving up.
At the end of 2 Samuel, King David heads up to build an alter for the Lord. Long story short, a lot of crazy things were happening in Israel and so David goes to build the alter to offer a burnt offering and peace offering to the Lord so that the plague will stop. He ends up building the alter on another man's (Araunah) threshing floor. Of course, you can imagine how this man felt when the King showed up on his doorstep to request the use of his property. And, honestly, David was King so I am pretty sure he could have just taken it regardless of whether or not the man wanted him to. But he asked if he could buy the threshing floor to build the altar, and the man offered it to him free of charge. And not only did he offer the threshing floor for free, he also threw in the oxen and wood, too. I have no idea how much this would have cost the man, but I can imagine it would be significant. He was willing making a sacrifice so that David could sacrifice to the Lord, and notice he never asked for a penny.
But David knew that making a sacrifice was always a sacrifice and he said, "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) There's always a cost. Either way, one man was going to pay a cost to sacrifice to the Lord yet notice that both were completely willing to do so. And maybe it's because they realized that any sacrifice we make to the Lord, any "cost" we incur to follow Him, doesn't even compare to what we gain. We never lose anything that we offer to the Lord, rather we end up with more than we ever imagined. More peace, more blessings, more comfort, more joy. The benefits far outweigh the cost, and David and Araunah both knew that.
There is a cost to live for the Lord, and there's a cost to live apart from the Lord. Regardless of which path you choose, a price will be paid. But when you realize that Jesus already sacrificed to pay your price, the decisions becomes pretty clear on which path is the most cost effective.
#807 - Because Jesus sacrificed to pay our price.
"God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world." - 1 Corinthians 7:23
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