Offering My Best to God

Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.” - 1 Chronicles 21:24

I saw a Christmas tree last Friday. It was elaborately decorated with some of the best ornaments I've ever seen. I was totally impressed with the Christmas tree. Whoever decorated it really put their heart into it. As I sat admiring the tree, I sensed the Lord speaking to me about something that's been going on in my life for some time now. 

I wasn't giving God my very best. I couldn't remember the last time I gave God the best of my time, the best of my day or the best of my money. It's easy to give God the left-overs of our day when we're sleepy and worn out from wrestling with the kids and a career all day. It's easy to find that crumpled $1 note in our bags at church when it's offering time and we remember "Oh, well this will do!" when we know that we'd dare not give that old crumpled $1 to the president of the United States. And is it okay when we only pray when we are in a crisis because God doesn't really deserve even 30 minutes of our day ?

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. - Luke 9:23-24

I know that we never actively think of treating the Lord this way. But we do treat God like second best most of the time, don't we ? And that's what God brought to my attention as I looked at the Christmas tree. Giving God our very best means taking up our crosses daily and following Jesus.

David did not want to offer God a burnt offering that would not cost Him anything. I pray that as we enter the new year, we'll enter with a resolve to give God our very best even if it costs everything we have.