Invaluable

1 Chr.21:²⁴ “David replied to Araunah, “No. I’m buying it from you, and at the full market price. I’m not going to offer God sacrifices that are no sacrifice. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!” (MSG & NLT)

From the way David carried the Ark of God into Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6 [please read], we can see what true worship really is. True worship happens When I Take Extreme Measures To Do It Right. 2 Sam. 6:¹³ “After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.” (emphasis added). Now think about it, I encourage you to get up and take six steps so that you can visualize just how extreme David was. The men take six steps and David would stop the entire procession, build an altar, sacrifice a bull and a fattened calf. Then they take another six steps, “Stop!” David yells or waves his hand, and the entire procession stops again. David builds another altar and sacrifices a bull and a fattened calf.

Just imagine that amount of sacrifice, it was extremely extravagant! Some people would say it was not really necessary. Some will tag it  as extreme or even fanatical. David, in that journey to Jerusalem, spent more time sacrificing than actually walking. Why is that important? When you want to worship God properly, in a way that is acceptable to Him, when it is true worship people would think you are crazy. But you have to go with what comes from your heart. And when you go with what comes from your heart, because people do not understand what comes from your heart, they will call you crazy. Every six steps they took while carrying the Ark back to the city of David, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened cow. Worship is like love; in fact, you cannot worship if you do not love. You cannot worship God if you do not love God and just like love, worship is extravagant.

Worship like love is extravagant. When you love someone, you are extravagant. If someone says he loves you my dear sister and he is not extravagant, he does not really love you. Your spouse says he or she loves you and he or she is not extravagant, it is time to get new wine from the Master. You do crazy things for people you love. If you say you love Jesus, and it must always be at your convenience, you have not even started. Why? It is because worship, like love, is extravagant. For a lot of people, before they married their spouse, they did crazy things for them – true or false? Someone said, ‘What was I thinking? Was I possessed? Yes, possessed by love. The things you do for love just do not make sense, and that is how worship is.

Please read the story in Luke 7:36-39, it is a picture of extravagant love. It just did not make sense to the people watching this woman and Jesus. It was excessive, fanatical but that is how love is. When love is in place, extravagance is in place. Money spent because of true love is never wasted. It is just an expression of your heart and this applies to our show of love to God.  The Bible says the woman came to Jesus with a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume.

Prayer [hymn]: Lord, You are more precious than silver. Lord, You are more costly than gold. Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds. And nothing I desire compares with You. Amen!