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Listen while you read: "Go Tell It On The Mountain"1 (Lyrics) |
It was just a few days before Christmas.
"We need to go and buy a turkey," one said to the other.
"I thought I saw a turkey in our freezer," said the other. Sure enough, deep down in the freezer, there was a turkey. And it had a date on it. That turkey had been in the freezer for ten years!
"We can't eat this," one said to the other. "Who knows what it's like? It could make us sick or even kill us!"
"You're right," said the other. "Why don't we give it to the church?"
Why is it that when we don't need or want something any more, we give it to the church — even if it's in poor shape and maybe not worth keeping at all? God doesn't want our leftovers; He wants our best. But too often, we keep the best for ourselves.
Our heavenly Father didn't keep anything from us. He gave us His very best — His only Son, Jesus — to save us — you and me — from our sins! Jesus gave us His all — He gave His life for us. He suffered on the cross and took our sins upon Himself so that we could be forgiven and live forever with Him. Our debt has been paid.
In the story of the lost son, the father tells his servants to bring out the best robe — not just any robe, but the best robe — for his son who was lost but is found.
Luke 15:22 – But the father said to his slaves, "Quickly, bring out a robe — the best one — and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet." (NRSV)
Nothing but the best comes from God, our Father!
Everything we have comes from God.
1 Corinthians 4:7b – What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? (NLT)
He created each one of us and He created the world that we live in.
Malachi 2:10a – Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? (NLT)
Psalm 24:1 – The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. (NLT)
Are you giving God your best? Or is He getting the leftovers — what you don't need or want?
Numbers 18:29 – Be sure to give to the Lord the best portions of the gifts given to you. (NLT)
Prayer: Gracious, loving God, forgive us for keeping the best for ourselves when You held back nothing from us. You loved us so much that You gave us Your only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. We humbly offer all that we have and all that we are to You in gratitude for all that You have done for us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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That is so true.
Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas, Dee.
Hilarious! And so true … Lord, forgive us! Thanks for this message.
Blessings.
I think l may have eaten one of those turkeys once at a Church supper! Well done Dee.
Christmas blessings.
Oh I DID laugh today at the start of your devotional! Thank you for this. ‘Laughter is the sound of recovery,’ someone said.
Thanks, Dee, for sharing this devotional with us. Indeed, the first fruits, the very best belong to God! May we always put Him first. Blessings.
Thank you for today’s message ! Gods Blessings to you and your family at this this wonderful time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Such truth and insight from the scriptures. Thank you for listening to the Holy Spirit and sharing to God’s community. Happy Advent. We all await Christ’s return.
Thanks, Dear! You’ve hit it right on the head!
God deserves the best from us not the rejected unwanted things.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Dee. This reminds me of stories missionaries tell about the missionary barrels they received and all the unwearable items they contained.
Good advice. We need to give our best to Him in all circumstances.
Many thanks for your devotional writing this morning. Yes, the Lord’s givings to us is immeasurable and we need to remember to be more thankful each and every day for His goodness to us.
Blessings to you.
(B.C.)
Dee, thanks for your ‘Give Your Best” devotional this morning. It reminded me of a friend who grew up the son of a missionary in Argentina.
He told me that they used to receive gift packages from Canada from church goers that included used tea bags. Thankfully God accepts us in our used and thrown away condition.
I will be sharing your devotional at our Bible Study.
Good. Morning. As I read the first part of your devotion this morning, I was reminded off when my late husband was a Minister, how often he would tell me of the strange things
people would ‘give’ to the church. Mostly old Bibles!
Thank you for this oh so true lesson for today.
May you be blessed and have a special Christmas.
I always enjoy and appreciate your writings.
Dee:
I was reading today’s devotional just now and thought, WOW, I could use this sometime.
I had just been thinking about our potluck lunch and wondering who would say the blessing. Then I kept thinking, thinking and thought maybe partway through the meal we could highlight some of the volunteer areas in the church and some of the people.
Then I thought I could use it at Friendship Kitchen and as some of the ladies are also quilters then I shouldn’t use it tomorrow.
Well….
I could hardly wait till I came to the end to see who had written it. And it was YOU! My friend!!
I hope God keeps inspiring you as it makes some of my tasks easier!
Quite a story and on with meaning as we talk about how much to spend on whose gift.
How much will we spend on God? Who gave through Jesus the gift of eternal life?
Hi Dee,
Good words indeed, may we, and many more people, be thankful for the birth of Christ and His death indeed.
Blessings.
Dear Dee,
A precious devotional, Dee. Because God gave HIS BEST, his beloved Son, may we all learn to respond by giving our best at all times.
I pray for inspiration for you to continue to keep giving your best too.