From the moment worship first appears in Scripture the concept has been inseparable from sacrifice. Sacrifice!? Yes. Sacrifice. Not music. Not warm and glad feelings. Not cathartic emotional experiences. Sacrifice.
When Abraham tells his servants that he and Isaac will go up the mountain to worship (Genesis 22:5), he isn’t talking about singing a song. He is preparing to put down what’s most precious to him in obedience to God.
TAYA captures the burden of this moment so well:
“What worship was in that moment was obedience to the voice of the Lord and sacrifice. So to me, that is what worship is.”
TAYA on the True Meaning of Worship: Obedience & Sacrifice from Worship Leader on GodTube.
Worship That Costs Something
Somewhat personal confession: My wife and I moved to Jerusalem for a yr. That might sound adventurous, spiritual, and even crazy given the present situation and war happening here, but we felt called, so we went.
And let me be real—it has been hard. No family. Few friends. I miss my huge American parking lots and SUVs with space for 13. Everything here is small. Old cities are inclined to be so. I believe humans were just smaller hundreds of years ago, but I am unable to back that statement up with facts.
My wife, bless her, adapts higher than I do, but for me? It’s been a serious adjustment. The culture, the language, the approach to life—it’s all different. Some days, I query why we did this.
Woe is me, right? Okay, I’m whining. But my point is that sacrifice is uncomfortable. Worship—real worship—will cost us something. And here’s the kicker: That’s the way in which it should be.
Every morning, I look out on the Temple Mount and do not forget that this has all the time been a spot of costly worship. This is where King David, despite being offered the land free of charge, insisted on paying for it because, as he put it:
“I won’t offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” —2 Samuel 24:24
David got it. Worship isn’t low cost. The Israelites who made the long, exhausting pilgrimage to Jerusalem got it too. They climbed uphill, step-by-step, bringing their best offerings—not their leftovers. And they climbed these hills 3 times a yr for the high holidays. That’s why they’re called, “high.” The Jews were required to go up to Jerusalem for Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, and Yom Kippur.
And yet, how often will we, today, within the West, give God what’s convenient moderately than what costs?
The Sacrifices That Move God
If we have a look at Scripture, God all the time responds to costly worship. Abraham’s obedience. Hannah’s give up. The widow’s last two coins. And, in fact, Jesus giving every little thing on the cross.
“Maybe the breakthrough you are waiting for requires a sacrifice of praise. Worship that costs you something.” —Joshua Swanson, The Walk Podcast
Maybe the sacrifice God is asking of you isn’t moving to a different country. Maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s:
-Giving financially when it stretches you.
-Stepping out in faith despite fear.
-Forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it.
-Saying yes to a call that scares you.
Romans 12:1 lays it out so clearly:
“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—that is your true and proper worship.”
True worship isn’t nearly what we sing—it’s about what we give up.
A Fragrant Offering
A sacrifice that costs nothing… isn’t any sacrifice in any respect.
But once we lay down what’s precious to us, it becomes a fragrant offering before the Lord. And as Jesus showed us, the best acts of worship are also the best acts of affection.
So, here’s the query: What are you willing to placed on the altar today? What will your worship cost you?
Because when worship costs us something, it moves the guts of God.
And when God is moved, things change.
The Cost of Worship | A Devotional from Jerusalem with Joshua Swanson from Worship Leader on GodTube.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/nastya_ph
