When explaining the sacrificial system, the Lord ordered worshippers to present the best of their flocks and herds, not slide in a cheap substitute:

Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

My translation (pardon the crudeness): bring your best to the Lord, not your crap.

After the recent horrible fires here in Colorado, people responded generously. Along with financial gifts, local charities were bombarded with mounds of clothes and household items. Most gave good stuff. But I saw a news piece about extra dumpsters needed to get rid of the dirty, broken, worn-out items people dropped off. The expense to haul it away consumed precious funds meant for fire victims.

No one wants your lousy stuff—the Lord included.

When I bring my best to the Lord, when I trust him by giving away some of my hard-earned money and time that I could use elsewhere, I rely on the Lord to replace my gift and provide again.

The Lord takes my best and makes it better. It might not be of the same type of gift I gave—better comes in more than material ways. But in any situation, the Lord rewards trust.

Bring your best.

Leviticus 22 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Nick de Partee