What a year. It has been just a little over a year since Danielle and I arrived here in Wichita Falls…and what a wonderful one it has been. Very few days go by when I don’t feel extremely privileged to serve as the Worship Pastor for Fairway Baptist Church. This church is filled with people with a servant’s heart. A heart that is beating in rhythm with the song of our Savior. Earlier in the year, I was reading through 1 and 2 Samuel, and I read a verse at the end of the 2nd book that has stuck with me ever since. King David was told through the prophet Gad, to go build an altar on someone else’s threshing floor, in order to stop the plague that was reeking havoc on Israel at the time. Upon arrival, King David inquired about the cost of the threshing floor. The gentleman, in turn, offered to give whatever he had to the king for free. But the king persisted, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” 2 Samuel 24:24
What an amazing truth about sacrifice. It’s easy for us to give away something that we attained for free. But to give something away that we earned…we fought for…we went to great lengths for…now that’s a different story. Why? Because it means more to us. It has greater value to us because we put our own blood, sweat, and tears into it. Therefore, if you choose to give it away, the sacrifice takes on an even greater value to the one who is making it. And this is what King David was after. He wanted his sacrifice to his God to be of value…he wanted it to cost him. His desired was to show God that He was worth the sacrifice.
Romans 12:1 says that we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices…a life that is surrendered to Him in every way…a life lived in sacrificial obedience to our Father. It goes on to say that this is our spiritual act of worship. It’s not just music, or the Sunday morning service, but it’s a 24-7 sacrificial gift to Jesus Christ.
Other translations say it is our reasonable act of worship. When we think of the depth of His mercy, the extent of His blessing, the vastness of His love, a sacrificial life of worship is the only reasonable response. Our offering should gush forth as an overwhelming reaction to knowing His greatness. We should desire to not only offer our life as a sacrifice to God, but offer it as a joyful sacrifice to Him…just as David did. Like Paul of the New Testament, David’s heart “considered everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing his Lord.” Philippians 3:8.
It shows itself in the smile of a greeter on Sunday morning. The grunts of someone helping another load a moving truck. The soft whispers of the Fairway Family praying for each other. The patience our nursery workers. The laughter of ministry teams setting up after hours for an event. The aroma of a savory Wednesday night meal. And many, many more. They are around every corner. And for that, I am thankful…and honored to be part of the Fairway family.
God has called us to be living sacrifice…this is our reasonable act of worship.
