SCRIPTURE:
"The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you – whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel – presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf."
Leviticus 22:17-20
OBSERVATION:
The offering brought to the Lord had to be perfect in order to be acceptable. Just as Jesus would become our perfect sin offering, the offering asked of here could not be defective and needed to be the very best, complete and excellent.
APPLICATION:
God is worthy of our very best. In all that we do, we must do so with a spirit of excellence.
Years ago, I was sitting in a workshop where only one person attended. I remember the presenter rushing through the content half-heartedly. I happened to be there as the speaker was someone who worked for me and I decided to stop in. She was obviously let down by the turnout and shared her disappointment after she was done. She said “Didn’t matter, only one person showed up any way.”
I replied, “I understand how you might feel given all the preparation you put in, but what if THAT person who came today was THE person who needed to hear what you had to say? Regardless of if it’s one person or one hundred, we need to give our very best every time.” She smiled and nodded in agreement.
Wherever we are, we are called to do our best with all of our hearts, knowing that we are not serving man, but God (Colossians 3:23-24). I can’t pick and choose when I will give my all. In everything that I do I must give my very best, not for the applause of man, but for an audience of one.
PRAYER:
Father Almighty. Forgive me Lord for times when I have cared more about what man thought over what You thought. Thank You Lord that I get to serve You and Your people. May I do everything with a Spirit of Excellence, this I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
