Our Focal Scripture makes mention of what Elkanah did each time he went up to Shiloh. He went there yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord. It was not an empty handed worship; it was worship that came with sacrifice; it was worship that cost Elkanah resources; it was worship that led him to part with what he had. His worship came with his substance. He released what he had to God in the place of worship.
Friend, in this season, say no to empty handed worship. Don’t be that worshipper that gives nothing to God; don’t be that worshipper that does not suffer any cost whatsoever in the course of worshipping God; don’t be a stingy worshipper; don’t be that worshipper that only seeks to receive from God without releasing to God; don’t be that worshipper whose resources are never called into action in the house of God.
Elkanah set an example in his pattern of worship. His was an example of sacrificial worship. Make your worship sacrificial. Let your walk with God cost you something; let your devotion to God compel you to release what you have in worship and service to God; let your commitment to God not end with mere words; let your communion with God witness a release of what God has put in your hands; be a sacrificial worshipper.
Notice that Elkanah did not necessarily sacrifice to God in the course of his worship simply because he wanted to receive from God. He simply sacrificed. It was not because of what he desired. It was a habit in his worship. Do not let your sacrifice be perpetually dependent on your desire to receive. Don’t give only when you have something you wish to receive from God. Make giving your habit in your walk with God.
The days of empty handed worship should be over already for you; now is the time to step up your sacrifice. Be a sacrificial worshipper.
