As I was leaving the KFC, I expected to feel great about what I had just done. One of the missionaries had been in Kentucky for twenty-two months and I’d be willing to bet he hadn’t eaten at very many restaurants. Also, I had just blessed some people in the name of Jesus. It doesn’t get any better than that, right?
I thought about this the whole way home and then some, but couldn’t figure out why I didn’t get that wonderful ‘glow’ that you get when you’ve done what you’re supposed to do.
About six months later, I was sitting in church and the pastor was talking about King David and the time he took a census so he could see how powerful he was (click on the link to read the whole story). David tried to purchase Ornan’s threshing floor so he could build an altar and make a sacrifice to God because this was where the angel was when he stopped killing David’s people. Ornan tried to give him the land, but David insisted on paying for it, saying “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
I had one of those “AHA!” moments as I thought back to the events in that KFC. I had made a sacrifice that cost me nothing, but still expected the benefit. As a result, I’m not (as) afraid of sacrificing things, because that is what is required.
