Have you ever given to God what you do not have and yet desired so much, but God seems too precious and more honorable to you to give it to yourself, and you gave it to Him? That is what sacrificial worship means.
In 2 Samuel 23:16, David poured out the water that was brought to him by three of his men as an offering to the Lord, showing the intensity of the value of such a deadly service, his gratitude, and reverence for the bravery and sacrifice of his men who risked their lives to bring him the water. David saw that there is One greater who deserves such a sacrifice, and it wasn’t for him.
Giving to God is never just about tithe and offering but helping the poor; in what you give to others (even if they do not appreciate it or used it against you), by giving for His cause, rendering priceless services to God, preaching, teaching—anything you can do to honor and revere the Lord as your God.
I can see the apostles pouring down their blood as an offering to the Lord; nothing seems to be enough to express their worship other than giving their lives as the expression.
I sat and watched a man preach the gospel with so much difficulty and frustration in his speech, yet he didn’t shy away nor back off from his duty, and the Lord told me, this man’s poured-out sacrifice is ten thousand times more precious to Me than those who didn’t have any difficulty in speech.
Sacrificing to God was never about giving to receive (like a business); it was divinely about sacrificing to God that thing you have received (no matter how little) or most precious to you as an honorarium unto God. Sacrificing was never about receiving but worshiping. It’s a form of worship, adoration, declaring Him as your Lord and Master.
Just think of it—that God gives you a choice to give Him a gift, even though He gave you everything you have, just to see what you will do.
David didn’t pour it into someone’s mouth, saying, “At least I didn’t drink it; that person might favor me another day.” But he poured it on the ground, a place where it can’t come back to him, a grand sacrifice that is not associated with connection, favor with anyone, or recognition—a place of sacrificial covenant only between him and his Maker.
A man not having money but giving out the little he has to the poor is pouring an offering offered out of inconvenience, yet he did.
The more painful and bitter the willing sacrifice, the more precious it is to the Lord.
A woman with no child, yet taking care of and blessing every child she comes across, is pouring out a sacrifice that is without measure, priceless and golden. A man who is deaf and dumb, yet sharing tracts for the gospel, pours out an offering that cannot be compared in value. A woman in pain, yet knowing she is not healed, but persists in helping others heal and encouraging others to trust in God, affirming them that God will certainly heal them, is a jewel in God’s treasure box.
