Leftovers

If you open our refrigerator somewhere in the middle of the week, you will find a dozen or so plastic containers that hold the remains of dinners of the previous days. Leftovers! Bev is convinced that the cornerstone of good stewardship is eating these things rather than throwing them away. While I understand her desire to be thrifty and to avoid waste, I will confess to being less than thrilled when offered leftovers for dinner.

• Are you serving God leftovers in your life?
• Does He get the first minutes of your day or the last tired few?
• Is supporting His work with effort and money a primary priority of your life or something you get to when you have time? 

There was a time when people were giving God leftovers and thinking they had fulfilled their holy obligations. He did not agree. Take a look. “Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is feared among the nations!" (Malachi 1:14, NLT) Extrapolate the principle! God hates being given leftovers.

Why? Because that dishonors him before the world He created! That passage amplifies His displeasure! "When you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings." (Malachi 1:9-10, NLT) Yes, He actually says that it is better to ignore Him completely, than to offer Him leftovers.

Has the subtle seduction of the things of this present world captivated your heart?
Are you in love with money, pleasure, or entertainment to such an extent that they have become the gods that get the best, while the Lord of Glory gets the rest?

When I ask people to accept responsibility for ministry to Christ and/or His Church, the answer I get most often is, “I just don’t have the time.” Truth is: The Lord is getting leftovers. We all can find the time we need to do those things we really love to do. The issue is not time, it’s love. So Jesus makes this call. As we read this word from the Word, I pray that it will convict and convince us to return God to His rightful place in our lives. “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:29-30, NIV)