Saturday, November 26, 2005
Are we a living sacrifice?
After a long and dreadful week, the Lord has shown me some things concerning being after God's own heart and being a living sacrifice. They are one in the same.
Friday night, the Lord led me to a passage in the bible:
18Now the angel of the LORD had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19So David went up at Gad's word, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD. 20Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. 22And David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD--give it to me at its full price--that the plague may be averted from the people." 23Then Ornan said to David, "Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all." 24But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 25So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. 26And David built there an altar to the LORD and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. 27Then the LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
28At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, 30but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
1Then David said, "Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel."
1 Chronicles 21:18-22:1
I thought about that passage for a while and I prayed to the Lord to help me give my all when I sacrifice. You see, David paid the price in full in order to honor his Lord. Then the words "living sacrifice" came to my mind and I knew the Lord wanted me to take those words seriously. I was convicted. I knew in my heart that I don't always give my all.
Anyway, I went about to my business and I knew I must head back to Auburn Saturday morning. For some reason I felt the Lord pressing in for me to come back. He knows that when I am in Auburn that I am not as distracted, so sorry Patio and Amy for not returning your calls...Imagine that, I had to drive 3 hours in order to whole heartedly listen to the Lord, my God, so, I did. I came back to Auburn around 1:00 this afternoon. I took care of all the business I needed to and made sure my apartment was quite. I turned off my phone and took the battery out of my ticking clock. Propped myself on my couch and said, "Okay Lord. I am here to listen. I am willing to sit here all day if I have to." Minutes went by and "the heart of David" entered my mind. I look down to my bible and ironically it is turned to 2 Samuel 24:18-25. Here's what it says:
18And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." 19So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. 20And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21And Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people." 22Then Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "The LORD your God accept you." 24But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
Sound familiar? It's the same story!! What do you know? I believe the Lord is trying to say something here. The Lord is so good!! When He wants His point across, He gets it across. Here are some more thoughts:
So, Jimmy and Anne have submitted themselves over to the Lord and by doing that, the Lord brought them to Auburn, AL. He brought them here in preparation for a revival. They were sent to Auburn to serve the students and to send them out. The Nicholson's have sacrificed their old lifestyle in order that the Lord may be glorified, in all places, Auburn, AL. I believe the Lord sent the Nicholson's out here for more than a revival. I believe they are here as an example of what we are or should be growing up to be. A living sacrifice. Are we willing to give it our all to be a living sacrifice like Jimmy and Anne do? I really and truly think the Lord is telling me at least and maybe you all too that being a living sacrifice is vital.
More thoughts...So, we should be Christ-like right? He paid the price in order for us to be saved. We must be willing to pay the price by being a living sacrifice for our God so our community can see and receive Jesus. Now mind you, the Lord doesn't need us to do this in order to bring revival to Auburn, but He chose us to. What a honor! When we sacrifice, we must sacrifice whole heartedly. This means paying the full price. If the Lord tells you to give away all your possessions, give away the shirt off your back too. It was not ours to begin with. What we have is a gift from Him. It is not always about receiving. It is about giving back too. We have ourselves, our story, the gospel to share. What does the Lord want you (me) to give up completely? Maybe it's our own selves? Living sacrificially was the heart of David. It is the heart of his Maker. Are we willing to have a heart of our Maker? So, now I am reminded of Romans 12:1-2:
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Another thing that stuck out in my mind was the last verse in 2 Samuel 24. It said, "And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel."
There is a plague going on in Auburn. Sex, drugs, alcohol, football, knowledge, so on and so forth are afflicting this town. We are in the need of praying sacrificially. We are in the need of serving sacrificially. We are in the need of loving sacrificially. When the Lord sees our plea, I believe that is when He will save Auburn. Why would Auburn turn her heart to Jesus if she doesn't see us, the body doing what God has called us to do? Let's cast our eyes on Jesus and be sent out sacrificially.
Friday night, the Lord led me to a passage in the bible:
18Now the angel of the LORD had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19So David went up at Gad's word, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD. 20Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. 22And David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD--give it to me at its full price--that the plague may be averted from the people." 23Then Ornan said to David, "Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all." 24But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 25So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. 26And David built there an altar to the LORD and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. 27Then the LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
28At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, 30but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
1Then David said, "Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel."
1 Chronicles 21:18-22:1
I thought about that passage for a while and I prayed to the Lord to help me give my all when I sacrifice. You see, David paid the price in full in order to honor his Lord. Then the words "living sacrifice" came to my mind and I knew the Lord wanted me to take those words seriously. I was convicted. I knew in my heart that I don't always give my all.
Anyway, I went about to my business and I knew I must head back to Auburn Saturday morning. For some reason I felt the Lord pressing in for me to come back. He knows that when I am in Auburn that I am not as distracted, so sorry Patio and Amy for not returning your calls...Imagine that, I had to drive 3 hours in order to whole heartedly listen to the Lord, my God, so, I did. I came back to Auburn around 1:00 this afternoon. I took care of all the business I needed to and made sure my apartment was quite. I turned off my phone and took the battery out of my ticking clock. Propped myself on my couch and said, "Okay Lord. I am here to listen. I am willing to sit here all day if I have to." Minutes went by and "the heart of David" entered my mind. I look down to my bible and ironically it is turned to 2 Samuel 24:18-25. Here's what it says:
18And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." 19So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. 20And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21And Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people." 22Then Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "The LORD your God accept you." 24But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
Sound familiar? It's the same story!! What do you know? I believe the Lord is trying to say something here. The Lord is so good!! When He wants His point across, He gets it across. Here are some more thoughts:
So, Jimmy and Anne have submitted themselves over to the Lord and by doing that, the Lord brought them to Auburn, AL. He brought them here in preparation for a revival. They were sent to Auburn to serve the students and to send them out. The Nicholson's have sacrificed their old lifestyle in order that the Lord may be glorified, in all places, Auburn, AL. I believe the Lord sent the Nicholson's out here for more than a revival. I believe they are here as an example of what we are or should be growing up to be. A living sacrifice. Are we willing to give it our all to be a living sacrifice like Jimmy and Anne do? I really and truly think the Lord is telling me at least and maybe you all too that being a living sacrifice is vital.
More thoughts...So, we should be Christ-like right? He paid the price in order for us to be saved. We must be willing to pay the price by being a living sacrifice for our God so our community can see and receive Jesus. Now mind you, the Lord doesn't need us to do this in order to bring revival to Auburn, but He chose us to. What a honor! When we sacrifice, we must sacrifice whole heartedly. This means paying the full price. If the Lord tells you to give away all your possessions, give away the shirt off your back too. It was not ours to begin with. What we have is a gift from Him. It is not always about receiving. It is about giving back too. We have ourselves, our story, the gospel to share. What does the Lord want you (me) to give up completely? Maybe it's our own selves? Living sacrificially was the heart of David. It is the heart of his Maker. Are we willing to have a heart of our Maker? So, now I am reminded of Romans 12:1-2:
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Another thing that stuck out in my mind was the last verse in 2 Samuel 24. It said, "And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel."
There is a plague going on in Auburn. Sex, drugs, alcohol, football, knowledge, so on and so forth are afflicting this town. We are in the need of praying sacrificially. We are in the need of serving sacrificially. We are in the need of loving sacrificially. When the Lord sees our plea, I believe that is when He will save Auburn. Why would Auburn turn her heart to Jesus if she doesn't see us, the body doing what God has called us to do? Let's cast our eyes on Jesus and be sent out sacrificially.
