Back to the Altar

As I finished reading 2 Samuel today, I couldn't help but notice how David's story ends.

     Not with another battle. Not with another victory. Not with another giant falling. But It ends at an altar.

   After everything David had been through, the victories, the failures, the waiting, the betrayal, the consequences, the restoration, his final act is worship.

     I think most of us spend our lives trying to build something. A career. A ministry. A family. A reputation. A platform. We work hard to leave a legacy. But David reminds us that the greatest legacy we leave isn't what we build. It's Who we worship.

   In chapter 24, David makes another mistake. He takes a census because, somewhere along the way, his confidence begins to shift from God to numbers.

              Isn't that still our temptation?

We count followers. Attendance. Money. Views.

Success. We measure what can be counted and slowly forget that the greatest things God does often can't be measured at all. When David realizes his sin, he doesn't hide. He repents.

         And Then he goes to build an altar.

Araunah offers to give him everything he needs for free, but David refuses.

He says, "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

    That verse challenged me. Because worship that costs us nothing changes us very little. Real worship costs us something.

It costs our pride.

It costs our comfort.

It costs our time.

It costs our obedience.

          Sometimes it even costs our dreams.

                    But it's always worth it.

As I look back over David's life, I realize his story was never really about becoming or being a King. It was about a man who kept coming back to God. He wasn't perfect and Neither am I. He made mistakes and So do I. He had seasons of incredible faith and seasons of painful failure. But every time, God drew him back to the altar.

            I want that to be true of my life.

When people remember me years from now, I hope they don't remember how many people followed my ministry or how many sermons I preached. I hope they remember that I loved Jesus. That I pointed people to Him. That when I failed, I repented. That when I succeeded, I worshiped. That my life always found its way back to the altar.

      At the end of the day, we won't be remembered for what we accumulated. We'll be remembered for what we surrendered.

And I can't think of a better way to finish than that.

Love Pastor Mandy

Ark of Hope Ministry 

Daily Reading 2 Samuel 21-24