leftovers ...

Leftovers?  Are you a fan?  Not so much that I HATE leftovers ... but I never seem to eat them.  I religiously ask for to go containers ... religiously cart them around ... put them in the frig ... and dump them in the trash a week later. URRGHHH!  There is a BIG downfall to leftovers ... they are NEVER as good as the first time around ... NEVER!  Get some yummy Mexican.  Take half of it home ... and the crunch is now soggy.  I HATE to waste food ... but I must confess, I'm not a great leftover eater.  GOD, not so fond of leftovers, either.

We seem to be plagued by the "better thans" ... and the "good enoughs" ... still thinking about how lightly we take our "commitment" to God.  We seem to have convinced ourselves that being BETTER THAN someone is where it's at.  I mean, if I go to church every week, that's better than a lot of people.  We tend to think A sacrifice is good enough ... I mean I gave him some time ... I made a sacrifice.  We tend to take care of ourselves and then offer the leftovers up to God ... at least some of them.  Now, I can remember seminary guys inviting themselves over in for leftovers ... but they were poor, hungry, and desperate.  God, not so much.  He expects out best.  Actually He demands it.  We get (sometimes) that God REQUIRES the first 10% of out money.  That part's not so hard for me.  I've learned to tithe since I was little.  My parents were awesome and they would lay out my allowance in stacks of 10 pennies to teach me to take one from each pile (remember that was the 70's ... allowances weren't $20!)  I've never NOT tithed.  It's the other stuff that's hard ... giving God the firstfruits of my time ... not just what's left after I've done everything else.  Giving God my BEST in terms of efforts ... not just offering more than someone else.  Giving God control of my life and decisions, not just asking Him to bless my plans.  Do I ever come home and spend time with God before I go running and before I flip on the TV and before I do other things?  Do I serve out of my BEST ... not just with whatever I have left?  How do I prioritize?  Do I serve up my BEST to God ... or do I open up the frig and recycle something left from something else?

When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the Lord Almighty.  "Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?" says the Lord Almighty.  "Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands.  My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.  "But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.'  And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the Lord Almighty. "When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the Lord.  "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations.

Malachi 1:8-14 (NLT)