Today was exhausting. After a full day of counseling, visiting Soldiers, and spending four hours in the car, I finally made it home. I shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief. There was just enough energy left to go upstairs, kick off my boots and take a nap. That way I could salvage part of the evening at home. In order to give quality time at home and offer something significant, I needed to take a break and re-engage at a later time.
We often face this dilemma with our families. We also face the same dilemma with God. What kind of offering do we give God? Does God get our first fruits or the leftovers from our day?
As we focus on the season of Lent and strive to maintain our spiritual practice, it is important to examine the offering we bring to God. Exodus 23:19 shares, “Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God….” Not only should God get what is currently available, but the best of what we have to offer.
Giving our best to God is a daunting challenge. It requires time, energy, and devotion. Allow this Lenten time of self-examination and sacrifice to strengthen your spiritual commitment and resolve.
The Lord has given grace, healing, and redemption to an afflicted world through Jesus Christ. God has given His Son as the atonement for the sins of humanity. While there is no way to repay this perfect and holy gift, it cries out for a response. Christ’s crucifixion should call us to tears, shame, seeking forgiveness, acknowledging our need for a Savior, and ultimately changing our lives so that we pursue Him. It should create a spark in us that never dies or wavers because of God’s great love for us.
As we mark another week in the season of Lent, examine your gift. What offering did you bring? Will God see the first fruits or the leftovers of your day? Do not “call in” this season of sacrifice and commitment. God deserves our very best from start to finish.
God bless you on your Lenten walk this year.
