Ezekiel Chapter 45. Don't give him your junk! Give him your best.
God continues to make plans for restoration for Israel. He calls the priests to use animals with no defect for sacrifices for the Forgiveness of sins.
I wonder how many times, or how tempting it must have been, to want to use an animal that had several defects because they just wanted to get rid of it from their herd. “This animals no good! It's going to end up dying anyways, so I might as well use it for the sacrifice.” As a result, the sacrifices end up not being Holy before God. God calls for the best so why doesn't he get the best?
I remember at Houghton college in New York, we had some African men and women who came to the college. It was very cold for them. One of them asked for some thermal long underwear and shirt for added warmth. I had just received a pair for Christmas (not even taken out of the package) and ended up giving the man my new set. I still had a set, just not in good shape.
I told my parents what I had done and they sounded like they felt I shouldn't have given them the new pair. They made the comment that I should have given them my old pair instead. That way I'm still helping them out.
That's the mindset I don't want but I feel I often have. I'll just give my junk to meet a need vs giving my best. (Don't get me wrong, sometimes something we have had can be a true blessing to another person. It's the attitude behind the giving that I am more concerned about).
Such an attitude could roll over into other areas of our lives. At our jobs, we know what our responsibilities are but instead of investing 100% into our work, we do less than 100% or maybe even do just the bare minimum.
If you read Colossians 3:22-25, God tells slaves that they are to work for their master's as if they are working for the Lord himself. They're too give 100%. It says, “Do it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord!”
CHALLENGE:
1) If you see a need and choose to meet that need, do it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord. Matthew 25:31-46 tells us that whatever we do we should do as if we're doing it for Lord Jesus himself. Wow! Wouldn't that change our approach?
2) Live out Colossians 3 in every area of your life so that you're driven to go beyond mediocracy. Let it impact how you do your job and how you serve your spouse, your children, your neighbor, your friend, your enemy, and even those in another country.
BLESSINGS!