Daily Devotion

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Voice: Terry

Today is Friday, 26th of September. The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.

We read Psalm 17:1-8

Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!
    Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
² From your presence let my vindication come!
    Let your eyes behold the right!

³ You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
    you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
    I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
⁴ With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
    I have avoided the ways of the violent.
⁵ My steps have held fast to your paths;
    my feet have not slipped.

⁶ I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    incline your ear to me; hear my words.
⁷ Wondrously show your steadfast love,
    O Savior of those who seek refuge
    from their adversaries at your right hand.

⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings,

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

1 Chronicles 21:18-26

¹⁸ Now the angel of the Lord had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up at Gad’s word, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord. ²⁰ Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. ²¹ As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. ²² And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the Lord—give it to me at its full price—that the plague may be averted from the people.” ²³ Then Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.” ²⁴ But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” ²⁵ So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. ²⁶ And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.

A Sacrifice that cost me nothing?

Why was taking a census wrong?

It was not the counting itself, but the spirit behind it. Perhaps King David was placing his trust in numbers rather than in God. Perhaps he was trying to measure and take credit for his own success. Statistics can sometime be used to define or prove a measure of success.

Whatever the motives, the consequences were disastrous. A plague came upon Israel, and thousands perished. To stop the destruction, David was commanded to build an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Out of reverence, Ornan offered the site and even oxen for the sacrifice — all for free.

But David refused. He insisted on paying full price, declaring those famous words:

“I will not offer to the Lord what costs me nothing.”

Here we see a principle of true worship. Genuine sacrifice must cost us something. David’s offering pointed beyond itself to the ultimate sacrifice — the costly gift of the Son of God, who gave His life to atone for the sins of the world.

This raises a searching question: Is it possible to serve God “on the cheap”? Can worship be real if it never inconveniences us, challenges us, or demands anything of us? In today’s culture — especially in a prosperous society like Singapore — there is a subtle idea that since Christ has suffered for us, we need not suffer at all. But how then do we explain the sufferings of St Paul for the Gospel? Or Peter’s reminder:

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

David’s words echo down the centuries: “I will not offer anything that costs me nothing.”

Let us pause and reflect: Is our practice of faith shaped more by convenience, comfort, and culture, or by God’s eternal Word and truth?

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We end with the Collect of the Day:

Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Be blessed by this classic song by Bobby Michaels, Anything that costs me nothing

I cannot come before my righteous Holy Lord
And offer to Him worldly things I do not need
And hope He’s pleased
For He wants me to give, a heart that’s truly His
An offering of the highest price
A servant whom, the Lord can use

I’II will not offer anything that costs me nothing
I’ll place before Him nothing less than my very best
And if I’m called to sacrifice
It will be worthy of my Christ
I will not offer anything that costs me nothing

To serve Him is my goal, how could I withhold
Whatever’s mine He’s given me, it’s not my own
It’s His alone
Whatever He requires, it is my desire
Whatever He may need from me,
I’ll pay the cost, gain or loss
I will not offer anything that costs me nothing

I’ll place before Him nothing less than my very best
And if I’m called to sacrifice
It will be worthy of my Christ
I will not offer anything that costs me nothing

Link to today’s Morning Office

About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.

Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.

For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg