What costs me nothing

Was reading in 1 Chronicles 21 today. It's a tough passage to read, very much about the strict nature of God, but David's response to his sin stuck out to me tonight. David had sinned against God and the bottom line was that the angel of God was standing at the edge of Araunah's field when God told him to stop killing Israelites. David was able to see the angel and went to Araunah and asked if he could buy his field for the purpose of building an altar to God and sacrifice to Him. Araunah said [my paraphrase] "Take it, and my oxen and crops too! Take whatever you need!" David's response was "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing" (verse 24).

As I thought about this tonight, I thought about how many things I get credit for giving God that really cost me nothing. He has gifted me in many ways and I am able to use many of those gifts on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis. People are constantly telling me what a good job I do, but in reality, those gifts I give to God by serving others often cost me nothing. My "sacrifice" isn't really a sacrifice because it doesn't cost me anything.

This is not to say that God doesn't want me to do those things for Him, or that He is only looking for sacrifices (there are plenty of Scriptures that contradict both), but looking at David's response sort of made me think. After all, David got the fact that what had happened was his responsibility and that He needed to come to God with what meant something to him. When I am looking to sacrifice, before I pat myself on the back for teaching or counseling or speaking in front of others (which are all relatively easy for me to do), I need to look at what I've given God that costs me something. After all, that's really what He's looking for: for me to lay down my own stuff and pick up the cross daily and follow Him.