Give Your Best to the Lord

Give your best to the Lord.  A simple axiom that is one of the primary themes within Scripture. 

One of the first examples we find of someone not living out this principle was in Genesis with the account of Cain and Abel.  Genesis 4:3-5 says, “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.”  It is important as readers that we understand what happened here.  Abel brought the firstborn and the fat portions, or as the NLT indicates, he brought “the best” of what he had.  Cain did not.  He gave of what he had, but the text seems to indicate that it wasn’t the very best.

Here is the principle laid out in the threads of the Bible:

Exodus 25 – God lays out the plan for the people to contribute their best (gold, silver, fine linen, onyx and incense) for His temple exactly according to the pattern that He provides them.

Eccl. 9:10 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…”

I Cor. 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Col. 3:17 – “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Col. 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

The pattern laid out for followers of Jesus is that we are to give our best in whatever circumstance we find ourselves – leading worship, raising our children, interacting with our spouse, working for our employer, etc.  We do this because we are seeking to bring glory to God through the humble offering of our lives.  He deserves that glory, and if we do not give our very best we dishonor Him since we are His.

Anything less than our best is not worthy of the Almighty. 

Here is the key point to understand, though – we are to do our very best and leave the results up to Him.  We are not to be concerned about the success or failure of our very best efforts.  That is not part of our sacrifice.  Our sacrifice is our effort. 

When we start to be worried about how successful we are, then our focus has shifted from giving our best to God, to ensuring that we are successful – one focused on our Creator, the other focused on the creation (usually ourselves). 

Let’s be more like Jesus.  Jesus was concerned about the Father’s will, not his own.  He came to give us the best of himself, and to let God the Father take care of him and the results.  As Jesus was prone to utter in His prayers, “Your will be done” (Matt. 6:10 and Mark 14:36).