Give God the best, not the leftovers. Sometimes we must let go of some less important things so we can focus on the most important things. A desperate, destitute widow gathered sticks to build a fire. God desires and deserves more than leftovers 2. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team. So the question is, what are we pursuing? God asks us for good offerings, not leftovers. Denying our sinfulness (v. 6, 12-13). Give God our best treasure. It is not just because God promises great blessings when we do, but because the meaning of our lives is found in becoming like Jesus. Thank you for the gift to be alive in this world and for the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. The same is true about giving … Each one gathered as much as he needed. ]]>, How to give God the best – not the leftovers, Stewardship Prayer (pray each day this month), Sign up for our free e-newsletter or manage your e-subscriptions. You can’t out give God. Man focuses on the size of a gift, but God cares about the heart behind it (1 Samuel 16:7). Thank you for the gift of time that I can spend with family and friends, neighbor and stranger. I would venture to guess that most folks don’t even carve out enough to have a “God” part. God desires and deserves our best, not our leftovers! That is one of the foundational spiritual gifts we need to be good stewards. Watch how God can take one spark and turn it into a wildfire that impacts your ministry, your community and even future generations. The ark was carried on the priest's shoulders and went out in front of the camp of Israel when they traveled or waged war (Num. The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. :" Simply put, God wants to be first in our lives, not an afterthought. Grant me the courage to use the gifts and talents you have given me for the building up of the kingdom on earth. This was similar to how Bedouin sheiks would thrust their spears in the ground and camp would be set up around the chief with his tent in the middle. Why? I I … Luke 10 tells the story of two sisters who served Jesus supper. God expressed His desire to be first in Old Testament times too—"You shall have no other gods before Me" (Ex. He only asked that they put Him first and hold Him up high for the world to see His glory. 20:3). Thanks for the reminder that we need to give our firsts, not the leftovers. Break away from past hurts and press into the One who wants a personal encounter with you. Free me from my attachments to the material things of the earth so that I may not be consumed by ambition, greed or selfishness. (Show heart from plate) We give them the best of our time, efforts and commitments. Too often, we give God our leftover time, attention, energy and money. In other words, "Mary is putting Me first, and she will be rewarded for it.". But I will contend that showing our reverence for God by offering him the best of our abilities, our time and our lives is the natural response in gratitude for what he’s done! Only by the grace of God. Help me to open my hands and heart and let loose the material resources you have blessed me with to support my church and the many works of charity that so need my help. Worship is giving God not just our best offerings and best gifts but most importantly the best years of our lives. Psalms 63:1 (NKJV) expresses it this way, "O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water." She planned to make a little cake for herself and her son, eat their last meal together and then, due to drought, starve to death. We want to give God our love, our joyful generosity, yes, ourselves. Just ask Cain, upon whose offering God did not look with favor (Genesis 4:5). But here’s the cool part about it all, giving God our best really, actually helps us in every other way. We need to trust what others tell us about our gifts. They had taken God for granted. What Prayer Is. All glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was, is now, and will be forever! How can we give like this? God fought their battles for them, no enemy could stand before them and no weapon formed against them could prosper. is not of the Father, but is of the world. We work hard, come home and get involved with family events or our own pursuits, and if there is a little time before bed, we might say a prayer. So, good stewardship of time means giving … You have blessed me in so many ways. Here are ten things I wrote down from our discussion… 1. Our text reveals four aspects of this: A. Friend, whatever you are chasing today? Some are chasing Bigfoot; others are chasing storms, UFOs, sharks, antiques, sunken treasure, true love and so on. So too with our lives friends – a life spent giving God your best will only get better when Christ returns. We give God the best—real things and good things, the best we can give not hand-me-downs or leftovers. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); Follow God on the most fulfilling journey of your life with Encounter the Holy Spirit! 3) Your best involves giving God your most superior work. Of all the vain and valid pursuits in life, we need to pursue God above all else. As Mother Teresa said, “Give until it hurts.”. From the beginning of time, He has been clear that some offerings are acceptable to Him and others are not. It sends a loud message to Him; a message that breaks the heart of our God who gave us His best so that we might give Him our best in a loving relationship with one another. He gives us so much that we have every opportunity to give back what is good. Traditional prayers can be real anchors for us in our prayer time. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you! The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. The New English Translation (NET) of Matthew 6:33a reads, "But above all pursue his kingdom.". Our God is not cheap with us but gave the life of His own Son. 3. We need to give God our best in everything we do. Luke11:3 (New International Version) Manna. THE LEFTOVERS OF THEIR LOVE (Malachi 1:1-5 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.