What does God get? Honestly, what does he get from us? Does God get FIRST? Does he get BEST? Does he get MOST? (I challenge you…I dare you…I double dog dare you to read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan for a great perspective on this thought.)
What is God getting in your life? And do you believe he is accepting what you are giving? Does God glory in your seconds and leftovers? Does God enjoy your worst? Is God praised in your minimum?
In Leviticus 22 God gives strict instructions about what types of sacrifices are acceptable and what sacrifices are not acceptable before the Lord. (He does this in much of the book of Leviticus.) This particular chapter deals with vow offerings, fellowship offerings, and thanksgiving offerings. Earlier in Leviticus he has already dealt with the rules about sin and atonement offerings.
Let me break down the offerings and the rules real quick. The atonement offering is an offering in which one animal is slain and the other is released to the wilderness for the atonement of sin. One animal has hands laid on it to put upon it our sin and the other is released to cover the atonement of sin from the moment of sacrifice to the next one. (I sure am glad Jesus died ONCE FOR ALL!) These animals had to be the best and finest of the herd without blemish.
The sin offering was to be offered for forgiveness of sin. You could offer this at any point you realized you sinned. They had to be perfect and without blemish.
The vow offering was an offering you made making a vow not just between you and man but between you and God. They had to be perfect and without blemish.
The fellowship offering, however, was allowed to have certain deformities and the thank offering came with less instruction, except not to sacrifice it on the day of its birth but to wait a period of time.
The rules were to never give the blind, lame, and diseased. Nor could a male animal that was sterile be given.
So, what does all this mean? The sacrifice of God – Jesus Christ – was perfect and without blemish. In his death and resurrection our sins are atoned for and are forgiven once for all.
But I believe the other 3 sacrifices – the vow, fellowship, and thank offering – are applicable to spiritual life today. We make vows before the Lord and fellowship with him and give thanks to him.
My question is do we only give the blind, lame and diseased? Does he only get the sterile in our life - that which has become worthless for the future of the flock?
Is God getting the first of your time, your money, your passion, and your service? Is God getting the best of your abilities, talents, and resources? Is God getting the most of your life, your goals, and your energy?
Or is he being served sacrifices that are unacceptable? God asks a question in the Old Testament about his people when they were doing this…would you serve this to the governor?
The hard part of realizing this truth is you cannot give God your first, best, and most if you give it anyone or anything else…including your family, your job, and your life.
So give God your first, best, and most and allow him to distribute it as he sees fit. Because God does not take seconds, leftovers, and meaningless praise…to accept it would be to profane Himself.
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