“What Would You Sacrifice?” – Psalm 50:23

Psalm 50:23 

“Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”

I am very picky about the instruments I play and purchase. Over the years God has provided wonderful items to enhance the music ministry. 

  • A church member gave me a collectors Gibson guitar in the late seventies when my first 12 string guitar fell apart. 
  • I sold my 88H Elkhart trombone in the eighties to purchase my 12 string Ovation guitar. 
  • In the nineties, I traded an electric guitar from my teen years to purchase my first bass. 
  • The Lord gave me back a trombone – this one belonged to my father-in-law before WWII. 
  • Treva and I found a professional trumpet at a garage sale that was dirt cheap because of a crinkle dent in the bell. (Now repaired.) 
  • I traded basses locally when someone didn’t pick up their pawn and traded old books and DVDs for a ukulele. 

For years I searched for a classical guitar that played wonderfully, sounded great, and was affordable. Most sounded horrible, and others that sounded great could not be purchased with my wallet. I played hundreds of classical guitars. Then one day it happened, I picked up a used classical guitar and it was the one. The only path was to trade my precious 12 string ovation for the classical. I was willing to sacrifice something very special. My family blocked my plan and later surprised me with this gift. 

Sacrifice is something special for something special. We offer praise to the Lord when we feel like it, and most of all, when we don’t feel like it as a sacrifice of praise. We search for that conversation with the Lord when we play the instruments of praise, prayer, sacrifice, meditation, the study of scripture, and obedience to His leadership. Those special times of His still, small, voice transform your life. What praise are we willing to sacrifice for a conversation in the glory of His salvation and to be satisfied in His presence?

In the conversation of a love-struck couple, she asked, “Would you sacrifice all your possessions for me?“ He answered. “You know I would!” She inquired, “Would you search the world to find where I am?” Again he said, “You know I would!” Then she asked, “Would you give your life for me?” He answered, “My love is an undying love!”

Use the HEAR method with today’s passage: 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 
Explain – what does the passage mean? 
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?

Jim Sellers, Minister of Music and YAH Director
 
Original photo by Kent Banes on Unsplash

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