IRRESISTIBLE SACRIFICE

Then the King said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 2 Samuel 24:24 

To sacrifice means to trade for something of lesser worth in order to gain something valued more, to intentionally give up anything for the sake of something else. And when something becomes irresistible, it means that thing is so much attractive that it is difficult to ignore.

Have you ever being in a situation that you just had to give up and turn your ‘No’ to ‘Yes’ because someone’s deed was outstanding to you or probably the person’s action somehow touched your heart so much that you had no choice but to dance to the person’s tune? That is what happens when something is irresistible.

A certain girl has been asking her father for a particular sum of money for over a month, but the father won’t budge simply because he thought the girl does not need it enough and she does not need it at that moment. The girl started thinking of ways to please her father so he could grant her request to no avail until one day, the father went on a journey with his car and it rained heavily that the car was covered in mud. The girl saw the car and she woke up very early the next morning, washed the car thoroughly such that it looked as clean as new. The father woke up late, picked some buckets, ready to go out and wash his car. On getting there, it felt like a dream to him. “But I took this car out yesterday, I parked it here so I could wash it this morning, but who could have done this wonderful job? My car is so clean, wow!” Just the moment he finished saying that, the girl walked towards him, cleaning her hands with a towel. The father knew immediately that it was no other person but his daughter’s doing. Immediately, he hugged his daughter and thanked her for saving him a lot of stress and making it easy for him to go to work early. Also, in return for her hard work, he gave her even more than the money she requested for.

That is the power of sacrifice. The girl’s sacrifice was washing a muddy car and making it so clean that her father would not be able to resist appreciating her for her effort. Sometimes, getting something from God will require you sacrificing something with a pure heart, no matter how little your sacrifice is.  

David knew the aim for his sacrifice and he knew that for his offering to be accepted by God, it must cost him something, something he must buy with his own money. Yes, obedience will direct you in making your request known at the right time while giving you the qualification to be among those who are legible to make a request from God, but sacrifice hastens the time to receive your request, a resistible sacrifice that commands speedy action.

Sometimes, I just wonder how the Israelites always overcome every battle. You’d notice that whenever their heart is right with God, whenever they run back into God’s embrace, they offer sacrifices. Burnt offerings, peace offerings, all which turns into a sweet savor that God will definitely accept them and immediately give them instructions on what to do and how to do it. Ever wondered how the king of Moab was able to go scot-free when the Israelites waged war against his land? He knew that God always lead the Israelites into battle and for him to go scot-free, he would have to offer an irresistible sacrifice to the warrior himself {God}. So, he took his heir and sacrificed him to God. Who wouldn’t be touched by that? How will someone go as far as sacrificing his heir as a peace offering to God to overcome battle? And that was how God set him free from his children.

Trying to make an irresistible sacrifice does not mean you should do things that will make God angry with you. What God would take from Mr A might not be accepted from Mr B. Therefore, it is not until you sacrifice your only child before God can answer you. In this New Testament era, sacrificing your Child will only bring you eternal punishment because thou shall not kill. Now you are asking, what then should I give to God, what should be my irresistible sacrifice that would make God answer all the secret and open prayers I’ve been praying all these years? Simply, it is all about you and your heart. What made Mr A, a new convert who only prayed to God for breakthrough today and received breakthrough different from Mr B, who has been a member of the church for many years and is still praying the same prayer of breakthrough for many years is his heart. Mr B has turned his relationship to God into so much familiarity that he has neglected the right approach to God in making his request. He has neglected giving with a pure heart, because to him, it is now what you must do anyway. But, to Mr A, it is something very new to him and he wants to guard this new opportunity jealously. He gives with a sincere heart, he helps other people genuinely and that is why he receives more than the only familiar Mr B.

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Your sacrifice might be sparing a particular amount time for God every day, to communicate with him and study the word of God. Yours might be giving, even if it is the last penny on you for the day just to wipe other person’s tears. You can't continue to live your life with so much familiarity with God and expect the same result with those hold unto his statutes firmly. Thinking, “If I should give this person my last penny, what will I eat? Even God would be angry with me” Remember that the children of Israel were chosen by God but they will always receive their portion of punishment in full folds whenever they make God angry. Since they were chosen, why do they have to offer sacrifices to God again whenever they have a request to make? That is telling you that you will use what you have to get what you want no matter how small. Your prayers are what you have, your money is what you have and your praises can draw God’s attention to you. The aim is to make your sacrifice irresistible and it can only be irresistible if done with a pure and sincere heart and spirit.

In conclusion, although, nobody can get anything except it be given to him from heaven. You can hasten the time frame of getting what you are asking for by always making your heart be in alignment with God, giving to God completely all he ask of you according to his commandments, and not allowing so much familiarity to take your eyes and heart off what God requires of you. That is your reasonable and irresistible sacrifice.

Shalom!