Our Very Best Gift

   
     Several years ago, when I would arrive home from work, Roscoe P. Coltrain, our basset hound extraordinaire, greeted me with his very best toy in mouth.  Then, he proceeded to carry it all the way to our back door so I could let him out in the yard.  Before I opened the door, I took his toy out of his mouth, patted him on the head and told him what a good dog he was.  This seemed to satisfy his desire to please me so he trotted outside to take care of his business.  I am amazed at this repeated behavior day after day.  Roscoe had an entire basket of toys, but he chose one that was his most favorite to present to me.  I chuckled at this routine, but deep down I felt honored that he wanted to bring me his best. However, this daily activity made me think about our relationship to God.  If my dog wants to please me and bring to me the best gift he has to offer, shouldn't I be doing the same on a daily basis with the Lord?
   

      Paul, the Apostle, wrote in his letter to the Roman believers that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord (Romans 12:1) which is our spiritual worship.  We are to devote ourselves to Him using our talents, abilities and the gifts which He graciously gives to us.  Each one of us has something we can offer.  This is one reason I started writing nearly twenty-two years ago.  I wanted to encourage others in their walk with Christ.  It is my offering unto the Father.  Some are gifted musicians who can play the most beautiful music for God.  Others can preach, sing, or render service to bless their neighbors.  It does not matter what the gift is as long as it is brought to our Lord with the right heart motive.
     Certainly, we cannot add to our salvation by offering our works to God.  Salvation, after all, is a gift and comes not as a result of anything which we do (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Our good works are to be done out of love as acts of worship to our heavenly Father.  Even our labor during the day is an opportunity to offer God our very best gifts.  When we stop and look at things from this vantage point, it makes everything we do seem much more important than we might think.
     I know I am delighted to be greeted every day by our faithful basset hound.  Unfortunately due to advanced age and blindness, Roscoe cannot offer me a toy but he still faithfully offers me his best love.   How much more then is God delighted when we seek Him out each day and bring to Him our very best gifts of time, talent, and resources?  No matter who we are or where we live, we all have something we can bring to God as our very best gift.  As unique individuals, no two gifts will be quite the same.  The chief end of our lives is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  We do this when we offer ourselves to Him as living sacrifices.  May we seek out avenues every day where we can serve the Lord by bringing Him our best.  Selah!


This picture is courtesy of Wiki Commons and can be found at:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/72153088@N08/6510934443