David declared in 2 Samuel 24:24 that he would not offer a sacrifice that cost him nothing. An acceptable  sacrifice will cost you something.

Two boys were playing Noah and the flood after some recent rains. They had made an Ark out of scrap wood and gathered all their toy animals into it. One of the boys got the bright idea, “We should offer a sacrifice.” “Great idea,” responded the other. The first one collected sticks for an altar and the other ran into the house for some matches. Everything was ready, but as the boy looked at all the shiny new animals, he just couldn’t bring himself to burn up one of them.

So the boy ran into the house and down into the basement where his mother had been saving things for a future garage sale. After a few minutes of intense searching, he triumphantly pulled out a little toy – a horse with a missing leg.

The boy and his pal solemnly placed the broken toy on the altar. The fire was kindled, and soon the flames consumed the useless toy horse. They had made a ‘sacrifice’ that had cost them nothing.

What will your sacrifice to God cost you?

Tags: Noah, offering, sacrifice, stewardship