GRATEFUL LIVING

 GRATEFUL LIVING

II Samuel 24:24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I cannot present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that has cost me nothing.” NLT

King David needed to build an altar to the Lord to worship Him on Araunah’s threshing floor. The Ark of the Lord had just come back to Israel from the Philistines who had captured it in battle. David wanted to bring it into Jerusalem where he lived. Araunah wanted to give it to him, but David would have none of that. For David, the Lord deserved more of him than that.

Gratitude is best expressed through sacrifice. The highest compliment you can ever give someone is to give them something that has cost you something. The greatest proof of one’s love is the willingness to sacrificially give. Think about it. You appreciate most that which costs you something. The more you have to give of yourself or your resources, the more you value what you are giving.

Consider the cost of salvation. The more aware we are of what God had to give and do in order for us to be saved, the more we value our salvation. It is good for us to often reflect on what God did for us. How can we be anything less than grateful for His sacrificial love for us? Consider the fact that what God did was for a people who deserved nothing but wrath, not love and mercy. No one deserves another breath of air, let alone eternal life with Him. We feast moment by moment on the riches of His grace. We have so much to be thankful for all the time!

Are you living a life of gratitude? Are you giving Him your best or whatever is left over from your life and resources? Are you sacrificing anything for Him? If you are enjoying living in Christ and not giving anything of yourself in return, it is a life of ingratitude. It is a mockery to feast on the riches of grace and not share it with the world. It is sin to not let the Lord shine through you and affect everything you do in life. It is sin to not be grateful for this great life of salvation we are privileged to live.