I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good. Psalm 54:6

All over the world people are willing to sacrifice many different things in order to get what they want. Most of the sacrifices that people do are not for religious reasons but to gain something believed to be of great value. Sacrifices of time, energy, food, family and much more are common as people chase after some big goal in life. Sometimes the sacrifice is for the better, while other times it is for things that are not worth what is being sacrificed.

David told God that he would freely sacrifice to Him and praise His name because it is good to do.

During the time of David, sacrifices were required by God as a part of the letter of the Law of God. Since it was a part of the Law, it is now common in the church for people to not want to sacrifice things at all, because sacrificing is often seen as a form of legalism. People feel as if they have to sacrifice and so they don’t because they do not want to appear to be legalistic.

God no longer requires sacrifice in the same way as He did in the Old Testament and it is not required for salvation. Sacrifice is now a choice for the believer. One must be willing to sacrifice from one’s heart, not out of obligation by some law or ruling.

Instead of sacrificing animals as David did, believers today are to sacrifice time, energy, effort, things, personal desires and more in order to be and do what God has called one to be and do. One chooses to sacrifice these things out of love for what Jesus had done in removing sins and giving life. One freely chooses to sacrifice and praise God.

God has forgiven you of all sins and provided salvation for free with only the requirement that you believe in Jesus and what He has done for you. Jesus sacrificed His life for you so that you could live. Since God has given you so much, be willing to freely sacrifice all for Him. Give Him your entire life and sacrifice what gets in the way of His will for your life. Freely sacrifice out of love for what Jesus has done for you, not out of legal obligation.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will sacrifice all in your life out of love for God to use; that you will give God praise for all that He has done for you; and that you will know what Jesus has sacrificed for you.

Picture by Chad Stembridge on Unsplash