God of grace and glory, shine Your light upon the path of this dear reader in whatever she or he may be facing today. In Christ Jesus' name, amen.
The title of this week's sermon struck me as funny because growing up we had no leftovers. We were a family of seven, Mom, Dad, five kids, three of those hungry boys. Our mantra was, "Are you going to finish that?" Growing up in that way one appreciates food that probably others don't even know about. I had fun with that with the children during the children's sermon. When we had fried chicken there was only one fryer, but that included the neck and the tailbone. Those two pieces were the salvation of a still hungry, growing boy. Our kids had never heard of those and would not eat such if they had to. The children did say that leftovers were not a good thing. "They don't taste the same" was the response, and that's true; leftovers are something we didn't finish the first time and we placed them in the fridge until a later time. Thanks to the invention of the microwave, they can be "nuked" to a level of warmth that varies depending on the person's tastes. Yet, as the children said, it's never quite the same. I put it, "Warmed over does not match 'fresh off the stove.'"
So it is with our commitment to our holy God. Our God deserves and demands our first and our best. In all things, not just money, God is not pleased with our offering what we have left over. "Lord, I did pray that two minute bedtime prayer! What more do you want?" Or, "most people at my church only give two dollars, be thankful we give anything at all!" And some would add, "because of this economy and all..." Wrong. Leftovers indicate we're putting ourselves first. We wouldn't dream of serving leftovers to a special guest, especially a parent we had not seen in some time. We would love to make an impression and a memory of their specialness with us, and a meal made of leftovers would not do.
Leftovers are evil and come as a result of a life not centered on God. Regardless of the excuse we may try to hide behind, nothing excuses our putting ourselves or our treasures first. Christ wants all or nothing. God wants our first and our best.
PRAYER: Loving God, forgive me for putting myself and family before You. I know that I have hidden behind things or reasons that sounded good at the time, but I do know honestly, that I have not given You my all, and I've certainly not given You my first and my best. Give me a new opportunity to faithfully serve You. I ask this in Christ Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
