“Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.” — Malachi 1:8
God is our greatest authority. We would not give our earthly authorities our scraps. Yet so often we offer God the leftover portions of our time, money, energy, thought, and emotion. He gets the scraps and rejects—just as the Israelites were offering the worst of their animals in sacrifice.
It must have been a burden to care for a blind or lame animal. The temptation to sacrifice such an animal would be very real. Wouldn’t a blind or lame animal suit God’s purposes just as well as any other animal?
We face a similar temptation. We pray with the five extra minutes we might have and are not sure what else we can do with that time. We help with a service project on a Saturday that is “free” on our calendar. We are happy to give if we have some disposable income. We read that deep religious book if we are in between novels.
We must admit, though, that extras are not really sacrifices. When we willingly sacrifice time, money, or energy that have value to us, it settles the greater value of God into our hearts and minds. God sacrificed his only Son for us. Certainly, He is far more worthy of our best than any earthly authority.
Are you giving your best to him?
-Mark DeVries