All the Best. Nothing Less.

2 Samuel 24:24

But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’

When we were planning for Rilian’s 5^th birthday, top consideration is the boy’s preference. And so we knew it has to be the beach. When you live in Cebu, you have two options: the long drive or the luxurious reserve. Checking our finances gave us two options too: this celebration or the savings allotted for the sofa. Now you have to understand the homemaker in me. In our six months stay here, we already hosted three times, not to mention we had two cancellations. Thankfully, the house owner lent us three old, red monoblock chairs for the sala. Function, yes. But RED?!! Did I tell you one big wall here is painted green? hahaha :> Ok, so that’s the arte in me. Sofa or Rilian? Is that even a choice? Of course I chose my kid’s delight. Even if it meant back-to-zero on our savings, and be thrifty again :> All the best for our son.  Nothing less.

When God told David to build an altar in the threshing floor of Araunah, he had two options: as king, he could ask someone to make the arrangements for him, or go there himself. Let’s set some background first: In this last chapter, God’s anger burned against David for ordering an account of all his fighting men. It was clearly pride at work. Even his not-always-godly commander Joab saw its vanity.  For why would you need numbers if your heart’s intention is to offer it to the all-knowing God who made it happen? When the report finished, David was conscience-stricken and readily repented. But God’s wrath was already at his door. He was given three choices for punishment: three years of famine, three months of enemy pursuit, or three days of pestilence. The land just had a famine in chapter 21 and he wouldn’t want to fall in the hands of men. That left him with three days of plague. As if referring to David’s headcount instruction from Dan to Beersheba, God’s angel took that route too. And for counting the greatness of his reign, he paid a significant number too. David took responsibility for the plague and so we understand why he chose to go to the threshing floor himself. Arriving there, he was offered an option to have the land for free. But that would make it Araunah’s offering and not his. How could he even call it a sacrifice if it wasn’t from something he valued?  And so he bought the threshing floor for fifty shekels of silver, built an altar in behalf of the land, and the plague stopped. Little did he know that the same land would soon house the temple of God. It had to be costly.

We often quote and sing and pray that we’ll offer our lives to God. In reference to David’s costly sacrifice, and in light of the high price of the Cross, how much really is the worth we say we’re offering? Let’s say, you’re a singer and you want to offer Him your voice. If you don’t push to perfect your skills to its highest potential, then you’re just returning the raw gift entrusted to you. If not even a cent was added to it, to pay for your voice lessons for example, how then can that be costly to you? If all we commit to and involve ourselves in are those within our comfort zones and schedules and budget, where’s the sacrifice there? When we spend our personal devotion in our spare time, when we give to the needy after clearing our books first, when we forgive only when we’re ready and feel-like-it, are we not  offering cheap? We say we love God and that He deserves our all, then, is what we’re doing now towards achieving premium level? Check again. It has to be the best. Nothing less.