FAITH CAPSULE: Is your sacrificial offering (worship) reasonable enough to be accepted by God?

2 Samuel 24

Over the Israelites, David conducted census against the will of God which provoked God to send down plague. The consequence of the census demanded a sacrifice which made Araunah to offer David a free threshing floor to build an altar for God to withdraw plague over Israelites. David rejected the free offer stating, “…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.” So, David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” (2 Samuel 24:24)
The story about David’s censor gives the picture about what it means
David opted for a costly sacrifice in the place of free sacrifice for his worship to God. Costly sacrifice before God will always provoke a priceless response from God. Worship is costly.
Worship is obeying God by doing His will. Pleasing self in position to please God is coming out of worship. Pleasing self is disengaging the ways of God by engaging the way that seems right to self. Proverbs 14:12 buttresses, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Giving self onto God’s way is giving attention to God. God is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24) and the antidote for jealousy God is giving Him a pleasing attention by worshipping Him.
Worshipping God is to be conscious in keeping heart with all diligence.
The Word of God demands that we keep our heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23). A heart that meditates day and night is a heart in worship day and night. Hearts which are kept with all diligence becomes pure. It is an understanding in the word that the pure at heart shall see God. (Matthew 5:8) Worshiping God with a diligent heart will become pure enough, accessing the presence of God.
Among the ways of keeping heart diligently as stated in Ephesians 5:18-21, “…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,  submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Whatever fills one is the evidence of what flows from the heart. Man’s filling is what effectively affect how he walks, stands and sits. The Psalmist buttressed by stating, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in the law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2) Jesus also states, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Meditation keeps the heart diligent and makes it to be pure to see God. Engage your heart in worship, be able to see God and be blessed.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace of God for giving self to live life for Him.