Deuteronomy 6:4-5
We very often have leftovers from our meals. We make too much food, or the kids don’t like it, or we end up just not being that hungry after all. Whatever the case, there is still food left when we are done. So we save it off to eat later. Almost always, the food does not taste as good the second (or third) time around. The texture is usually either tougher or mushier than when it was first served. The joy of eating a meal is just not the same for me when it is leftovers. My wife will say that there are some things that can be better as leftovers such as meatloaf sandwiches. I am happy for her that she has found that but I just don’t like leftovers all that much. She is welcome to all the leftover meatloaf!
You can find many discussions about this concept with regards to God. But for some reason, the idea just sticks with me. Perhaps it is the memory of that sigh I get when it’s leftover night. It is just something I can completely relate to. God asks us to give Him our very best all the time. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-38, “...‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Notice that it does not say love God with your heart after you do some other things. It does not say love God with all your heart a few times and not so much at others. Love God with ALL your heart and ALL your soul and ALL your mind. If you really do that, you’re doing it all the time.
Do you just say a two minute prayer while you're driving to work and tell yourself you pray daily? Do you think about God during the sermon on Sunday but not that much other times? Do you only read scripture during bible class or maybe in a daily devotional email? These are leftovers and I am not sure this is what God is asking of us. Loving God with everything you’ve got is obviously easier said than done. God knows that. But in His infinite grace, patience, and love, God sent us Jesus to help us through this life. Jesus set the example and sacrificed Himself so that we might have forgiveness for the times when we serve God our leftovers. Let’s help one another live more like Christ and serve God a feast with everything we do all the time. God gives us the strength to do it; we just need the faith to do it.
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