Take 2-3 minutes to quiet yourself and ask God to speak to you today through your devotional time.
Reading: 2 Samuel 24:19-25
Be sure to highlight or note anything that stands out to you while you read.
After reading the passage, take the next 5-10 minutes and spend time reflecting on what you read. You can write these things down in a journal or record them in your phone. Be attentive to both what you highlighted in the passage and what is going on in your life.
King David refused to offer God something that cost him nothing. When given the opportunity to sacrifice freely available oxen and wood, he insisted on paying full price, declaring, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” True worship—true sacrifice—involves something valuable to us.
God isn’t looking for our leftovers or convenience; He’s inviting us to test what we truly value. Like refining fire that burns away impurities and reveals genuine gold, sacrificial living reveals what’s real in our faith. When you give God your best time, resources, energy, and obedience, you discover His will is good, acceptable, and perfect. The testing proves what’s valuable. Today, ask yourself: What am I offering God that actually costs me something? Your answer reveals what you truly believe about His worth.
Now, take 10 minutes to seek God in prayer…
- Begin your time in prayer by taking 1-3 minutes to sit in silence (You can take longer if you sense the Spirit already beginning to speak to you).
- Pray through the things you sensed God speaking to you through the Scriptures or pray the following prayer: Father, forgive me for the times I have offered You only what is easy or convenient. Help me become someone who gladly gives You my best time, energy, resources, and obedience. Teach me to trust that every sacrifice made for Your glory is worthwhile. Reveal Your good, pleasing, and perfect will as I surrender more of my life to You. Amen.
- Close by taking 5 minutes to sit in silence, asking God if there is anything else He wants to speak to you today.
Faith Steps:
- Identify one meaningful sacrifice you can make this week that honors God and benefits others.
- Give God something valuable today—your time, resources, attention, or obedience—as an intentional act of worship.