神是最高掌权的那一位。试想，我们断不会把残屑献给地上有权位的，然而，多少时候，我们却把我们剩余而零碎的时间、金钱、精力、思维，和感情献给神；神得到的是剩下的残屑和次等的货色——就如以色列民把最差的牲畜作为祭物献给神那样。
对以色列民来说，瞎眼和瘸腿的牲畜是个负累，所以心里不禁挣扎地想，不如就把这些没有用处的牲畜来作祭物吧。瞎眼和瘸腿的牲畜和其他牲畜不也是一样，也算是祭物可以献给神吗？
今天我们也面对同样的试探。我们可能刚有个五分钟的空隙时间，于是我们便用这五分钟来祷告；我们的行事历上有一个稍微“闲置”的星期六，就用这时间来参与事奉；若有多余的收入，我们便守守十一奉献；刚看完这本精彩的小说，在未开始看下一本时，我们也用一点时间，读读那本高深的属灵书籍吧。
我们需要承认，把那些多余出来的献上，并不是真正的奉献。然而，当我们甘心乐意地为神献上一些对我们很重要的时间、金钱，或精力时，我们便真的是看这位神是很重要的了。神为我们牺牲了衪的独生儿子，比起地上任何有权位的人，衪当然更配得到我们献上最好的。
你有没有把最好的献给衪呢？
亲爱的耶稣，我们没有按祢最尊贵的身份对待祢，求祢赦免我们。我们愿意把我们最好的献给祢，也愿意把我们多出来的献给祢，我们愿意全然属祢。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。
玛拉基书 1:8
8你们将瞎眼的献为祭物，这不为恶吗？将瘸腿的、有病的献上，这不为恶吗？你献给你的省长，他岂喜悦你，岂能看你的情面吗？这是万军之耶和华说的。"'Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?' says the LORD Almighty." — Malachi 1:8
God is our greatest authority. We wouldn't give our earthly authorities our scraps. Yet so often we offer God the leftover portions of our time, money, energy, thought, and emotion. He gets the scraps and rejects—just as the Israelites were offering the worst of their animals in sacrifice.
It must have been a burden to care for a blind or lame animal. The temptation to sacrifice such an animal would be very real. Wouldn't a blind or lame animal suit God's purposes just as well as any other animal?
We face a similar temptation. We pray with the five extra minutes we might have and aren't sure what else we can do with that time. We help with a service project on a Saturday that is "free" on our calendar. We're happy to tithe as long as we have some disposable income. We read that deep religious book if we're in between novels.
We have to admit, though, that extras aren't really sacrifices. When we willingly sacrifice time, money, or energy that have value to us, it settles the greater value of God into our hearts and minds. God sacrificed his only Son for us. Certainly he is far more worthy of our best than any earthly authority.
Are you giving your best to him?
Dear Jesus, please forgive us for not treating you according to your full value. We want you to have our best. We want you to have our extras too. We want to be fully yours. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
