David went against God’s way by having the children of Israel counted. We continue the story in 1 Chronicles 21:18. The angel of the Lord commanded David to erect an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan (where the plague stopped).
David went and asked Ornan for a place to build the altar. Ornan offered to give the king all that was needed. Verse 24 says, “…No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.”
How does this apply to us? Luke 14:25-33 was Jesus talking to the multitudes about the cost of being His disciple. Verse 27 says, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
We are to live in the world as a witness through our relationship with the Lord. We are to be a fragrance of Him to those around us. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”
Right now the world is in crises. People are looking for answers. Churches are not meeting in buildings, but we are the church without walls. May our heart’s peace be a testimony to those around us who do not know Him.
I think of the Moravian young men. They counted the cost. They sold themselves as slaves in order to bring the gospel to slaves who lived and died on that island. Their motto was: Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him.
Mordecai’s words to Esther are applicable for us, the whole body of Christ. Esther 4:14 says, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Lord, help us be witnesses of Your grace in this moment of time in our nation and in the world. Help us to effectively pray, count the cost, and rise up to seize the opportunities in this time of the unprecedented opportunities.
M's Creations 