NOR WILL I OFFER...THE LORD...THAT WHICH COST ME NOTHING."
2 SAMUEL 24:24 NKJV

Hard work = sweat! A long, long time ago when Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden they had to 'sweat to earn a living' (Genesis 3:19). Farmers sweat to turn their crops into cash, the same as bricklayers sweat on a building site or an executive sweats over writing a report for an important deadline. You tend to value what you have to work for and God values your efforts as well. That's why when David had the chance to offer God a sacrifice he said, 'Nor will I offer...the Lord...that which cost me nothing.'
So what does your worship to God cost you? Not in terms of money but in terms of energy.  The word worship comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word 'worth-ship,' which is 'the act of giving worth or value to a person or object'. In the New Testament, worship can be understood as serving, singing, showing proper respect, humility, love and generosity. That's right, even the offering plate at church is part of worship where you give back to God a slice of what He's given you. It's another way of honoring Him with the result of your sweat! When you sacrifice sleep to get up early and spend time with God, you're also doing something that costs you and when you go out of your way to help somebody in need, you're offering God something of real worth (see 1 John 3:17). So check your heart today and make sure you're giving God something of value.