Offering Leftovers

In Malachi 1:6-7, the prophet relays the words of God to the children of Israel, condemning them for their shameful sacrifices:

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor?

And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name.

Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’

“You offer defiled food on My altar, but say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘the table of the Lord is contemptible.’”

The altar of God was defiled because the Israelites were not offering their best. Instead, they were “sacrificing” the blind and the lame of their flocks. They were trying to get by with the bare minimum. They were going through the motions. Rather than offering God their first fruits, they gave him their leftovers.

You need not be religious to appreciate the importance of this passage. We all are tempted at times to hold back, to “mail it in,” as the saying goes. Athletes talk about “leaving in all on the field” to describe the process and mindset of fully engaging and giving it your all. Delivering 100% effort, your absolute best. I believe this attitude should apply to life.

Your world is full of people who are just checking a box and going through the motions. They do not even know what their best looks like because they have never asked it of themselves. Instead, they ask, “what is the bare minimum I can do to get by?” Their best is a foreign land in which they have never stepped foot. And even if they have, it has been so long since they’ve visited that they do not remember how to get there.

It must not be this way for you. Offer a worthy sacrifice. Your family, your career, your friends, your faith, they are all too important for minimal or even mediocre effort. Only your first fruits will do. No leftovers.

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