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Give God Your Best - Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash

Give God Your Best

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When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. 14 “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.Malachi 1:13

In the book of Malachi, God speaks directly to the priests — the holy ones — and condemns them for failing to honor Him. By allowing sacrifices that were less than the best. We live under the new covenant, but that should not be an excuse to not give God your best.

In particular, this message convicts of me of times I’ve been in a worship service and realized that my mind or heart is wandering away from God, while my lips are saying I want to be near Him.

God doesn’t need perfection. His son played that role. But he does desire the pure Gold of our authenticity and our full devotion to Him. I hear the Holy Spirit remind me, “Brian, give God your best. Not the best — you don’t have to compare with others. But bring your best. Offer it all in a spirit of worship, surrender and fear of a God who deserves the best of me. And then, it will be a worthy and pleasing sacrifice in His sight, and you will hear ‘well done, Good and faithful servant!'”

Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash
Let Love In

Let love in

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Our kids wake up early. I rise at 5:30am, not to be “holier than thou”, but because, if I don’t, I get no chance at solitude in the day. So when a couple of ours woke at 6:30 this morning, we tried to convince them to sleep it out a little longer. My son was not having it.

In the middle of a temper tantrum in the darkness of a pitch-black room, I hung my head in desperation, pleading with him to lay back down and keep sleeping. Giving no relent in response to my exhaustion, I pulled my tearful child close to me and gave him a hug. The tears slowed. I was on to something.

“You want me to snuggle with you?” Immediately, he responded and headed towards his makeshift cot on the floor (because he insists on sleeping next to his sister, who he lovingly calls “gigger” because he can’t pronounce “sister”). He stopped his wailing, laid down on the giant overstuffed Costco teddy bear and sniffled on the floor next to me.

Love.

It all comes back to love, doesn’t it?

How many problems and stresses do we endure, when, if we would just let love in, we might solve or dispel in an instant?

When I’m anxious about work, fearful that a client will be frustrated or disappointed… love reminds me that I’m okay, even if I do fail.

When there is conflict in marriage… love reminds me that we’re on the same team.

When the brightness of day doesn’t overpower the darkness of hopelessness you feel inside… love says that you’re not alone, and that it’ll all be okay.

And when we scurry about from place to place, seeking meaning in gifts, or trophies or affirmation… let God’s love into the deep places that long to be held, stilled and quenched.

It will change your life, your pursuits, your interactions and expand your ability to freely love those around you. Let love in.

Photo by Pablo Heimplatz on Unsplash

Looking up when we want to look down

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I was reading Psalms his morning and chapter 55 describes David’s experience of betrayal. In the midst of understandable frustration towards his enemies who had hurt him, he pauses to say,

But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.” Psalm‬ ‭55:13-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬https://bible.com/111/psa.55.13-14.niv

You can hear the shock and horror in his voice. There has been a tragedy. It wasn’t my enemies who have wounded me; you would expect that.

Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” So there is a time and space for our close friends to tell us the hard truth; and we should be thankful.

But this was different. This was someone near me. A trusted friend. My neighbor in church.

Yet, despite the pain and shock of betrayal, this misfortune is met with a beautiful response. David looked up when he wanted to look down.

As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change— he will hear them and humble them, because they have no fear of God.” Psalm‬ ‭55:16-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Where to look

Where does our attention go when we’re hurting?

Most of the time, I get self-centered and focused on the wound. Like a little child who scraped his elbow and wants to show everyone the band-aid, I go in search for attention. See my pain! Validate the hurt!

Or maybe your response is despair. You’ve been shell-shocked so many times in your life that you’ve begun to give up.

Or maybe your response is pride. Betrayal just adds to the heap of burning hatred you feel towards society. It’s one more reason that God should wipe this planet clean again. You take on your own “savior mode” and experience the betrayal as injustice toward’s God’s righteous one.

The pain of betrayal can take on so many different tones of response. And let’s be honest, whichever we choose, we feel validated in the response.

But David models looking up when we want to look down.

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm‬ ‭55:22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He turns towards God, pointing his mind towards the truth of God’s character.

This is how I long to respond. When I’m hurt, I want my reaction to be: “I was wronged. But my God, who is good, will vindicate me and be my source of hope.”

May I look up when I want to look down.