May I Never Offer Jesus Anything That Doesn't Cost Me Something

In 1 Samuel 15, we see Saul was given strict orders by God through the prophet Samuel to completely destroy the, “entire Amalekite nation.” (vs 3). And yet in verse 9 we see this, that, “Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the fat calves, and the lambs – everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed what was worthless or poor quality.”

Upon his own authority, Saul saved only those things worthy of anything to serve his selfish purposes, claiming to have spared them for sacrifice to the Lord, and additionally blaming his troops for doing it.

And I wonder how often we are guilty of giving from this kind of nature? Sacrificing only those things we have zero need for?

And yet the future King David would make this decree, “I will not offer anything to God that doesn’t cost me something.” (2 Sam 24:24)

My commentary suggests that Saul was now being tried by, “victory, power, and prosperity.” Oh how often times God blesses and then tests the weight of that blessing against our ability to carry and we fail the test. He’s longing to give the weight of glory to a host of people, but only the measure of which they are able AND willing to endure. Here Saul has proven his inability to obey, his unwillingness to surrender, and his deficiency in weight-bearing.

And to me the saddest of all is that he needed Samuel. The tasks for which he was assigned required Samuel’s great counsel and wisdom. But after Saul repeatedly exhibited a determination to have his own way, Samuel seems to have exerted little influence over him. .
Special favor requires special obedience and I must determine that I am indebted to the Father for His lovingkindness.

May I refuse to give God anything but my very best! May my zeal and passion for Him be authentic and may I always be a willing vessel, always growing in strength to bear more weight of His glory that He longs to pour out. May the legitimate fervor be made evident by the urgency of my obedience to God even when it collides with my convenience, pleasure, and self-interest.