Five dollars is the cost of a week of Vacation Bible School at our church.

That’s one dollar for three hours of fun-filled, Bible-learning, friend-making time, each day! It’s an incredible deal.

But, as the children’s minister explained it, the fee isn’t about covering the costs for the program. It is simply a way to help parents commit. When people put even a small amount of money down for something, they are more likely to put their heart into it.

Even 3000 years ago, this was true.

King David stood before Araunah needing the materials to make a sacrifice to God. Araunah offered his threshing floor and oxen to the king for free. But David didn’t want to just go through the motions of worship; he wanted to truly put his heart in it. He insisted on a fair price. It cost him a little over a thousand dollars in today’s currency.

God doesn’t need our money any more than my church needs parents to break the bank for Vacation Bible School. But worship, like any gift, requires a sacrifice of some sort: a laying down of pride, of time, of busy thoughts, of money — whatever it takes to get our hearts involved. True worship is an act of the heart.