Gas Prices, Sacrifice, and Loving God

Gas prices are just getting out of hand aren't they? My teenage daughter has taken to leaving her car in the garage and hitching a ride with her Mom to school. That is when I realized we must be in a crisis. I overheard two guys talking at the health club today. They were talking about gas prices and one said that he used to go down to his kid's soccer game in Canton but now... I stopped what I was doing so I could hear what he was going to say next. I was hoping he wouldn't say that now he just couldn't afford to go to watch his kid. That was going to be like a knife to my heart because I know how much it meant to me as a son to have my father watch me and how much it meant for me as a father to watch all my kids. He ended up saying that now he has to go early so they can all ride together instead of meeting down there in a couple of cars. I breathed a sigh of relief but it did get me thinking. One thing about the price of gas is that it really helps to prioritize what is really important. That was my fear in eavesdropping. I thought the price of gas was going to drop watching his kid's soccer game off the list. What is dropping off your list? I have noticed that offerings are down at the church. I think it is true across the board with charitable giving. I think we should be careful. Sacrifice is a wonderful way to communicate love. If gas goes to $20.00 a gallon and I am still willing to drive to Canton to watch my daughter play soccer (which I would in a heart beat) it will shout to her of my love. I think it works the same way with God. King David was going to give a sacrifice to God at the end of the book of second Samuel. The man who owned the land offered to give it to David along with some animals and the wood needed for the sacrifice. David said,"Name your price. I will not offer a sacrifice to God that costs me nothing". So, I want to make sure as the gas prices soar and my priorities shake out that the important things stay on the list. The truth is that I will always sacrifice for the things I really love. My guess is that you do too.