June 5
2 Samuel 23:24-24:25; Acts 3:1-26; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 16:21-23
Is a sacrifice a true gift if it costs the giver nothing? How costly must a gift be to bring reconciliation in a relationship?
King David had an impressive group of mighty men – men whose deeds had demonstrated superhuman strength, with whose help David had won many victories. But David wasn’t content with the Thirty and ordered a census of all Israel’s fighting men – a count that God had forbidden. By insisting on this census, David showed reliance on human strength, not God’s power, and the king soon recognized it as sin.
Unfortunately, David’s sin brought judgment on all of Israel, demonstrating once again that our acts of disobedience can bring dire consequences for the people we love. He pleaded with God to confine the punishment to only himself and his family and God graciously allowed David to offer a specific sacrifice to stop the plague. Faced with the option of accepting as a gift what was needed for the sacrifice, David declared he would not present an offering to God that had cost him nothing. Sacrifice must be personal and costly to be considered genuine, and David knew that reconciliation with God required transparent and costly openness before Him.
Relying on God’s power and not our own is a consistent theme throughout scripture. The lame beggar at the Gate Beautiful received a gift he never expected, one much more valuable than gold or silver. Peter and John gave him complete healing in Jesus’ name. Refusing to claim healing power for themselves, the apostles then used scripture to teach their fellow Jews who Jesus really is.
Psalm 123 invites us to look to God for mercy and strength, both of which David and the lame beggar experienced, demonstrating that faith alone reconciles us to God.
Lord, please forgive me for things in my life I try to keep to myself and not bring to You for forgiveness and help. Give me the wisdom to recognize those sins that separate me from You and be willing to pay the cost to be reconciled to You. I desire to know your mercy and to grow in my wisdom of You.
Question of the day: Are there areas of disobedience in our lives that we need to confess to God to bring us reconciliation with Him?
Is a sacrifice a true gift if it costs the giver nothing? How costly must a gift be to bring reconciliation in a relationship?
King David had an impressive group of mighty men – men whose deeds had demonstrated superhuman strength, with whose help David had won many victories. But David wasn’t content with the Thirty and ordered a census of all Israel’s fighting men – a count that God had forbidden. By insisting on this census, David showed reliance on human strength, not God’s power, and the king soon recognized it as sin.
Unfortunately, David’s sin brought judgment on all of Israel, demonstrating once again that our acts of disobedience can bring dire consequences for the people we love. He pleaded with God to confine the punishment to only himself and his family and God graciously allowed David to offer a specific sacrifice to stop the plague. Faced with the option of accepting as a gift what was needed for the sacrifice, David declared he would not present an offering to God that had cost him nothing. Sacrifice must be personal and costly to be considered genuine, and David knew that reconciliation with God required transparent and costly openness before Him.
Relying on God’s power and not our own is a consistent theme throughout scripture. The lame beggar at the Gate Beautiful received a gift he never expected, one much more valuable than gold or silver. Peter and John gave him complete healing in Jesus’ name. Refusing to claim healing power for themselves, the apostles then used scripture to teach their fellow Jews who Jesus really is.
Psalm 123 invites us to look to God for mercy and strength, both of which David and the lame beggar experienced, demonstrating that faith alone reconciles us to God.
Lord, please forgive me for things in my life I try to keep to myself and not bring to You for forgiveness and help. Give me the wisdom to recognize those sins that separate me from You and be willing to pay the cost to be reconciled to You. I desire to know your mercy and to grow in my wisdom of You.
Question of the day: Are there areas of disobedience in our lives that we need to confess to God to bring us reconciliation with Him?
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