Best of You
Over the last couple of weeks I have been having an ongoing conversation with the Lord about “what is best.” Sounds pretty generic I’m sure but I will hopefully explain myself. This “what is best” is really a conversation about “what is my best.” Another words, God’s word says we are to give Him our first fruits, 10%… my best. Or is it my best?
Here’s a question: if you do something that is required, is it your best?
Here it is another way: if I am required to tell my wife I love her and kiss her once a day, is she getting my best?
Or: if my job gets just what is required of me, are they getting my best?
Is God getting my best… or just what is required of me?
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been recovering from a fractured fibia. So, needless to say I have spent a lot of time “resting.” Rest is good but if you are anything like me, too much rest can easily become laziness. When rest becomes laziness, my best becomes only what is required. During these weeks of “rest,” I discovered on abc.com you can watch full episodes of every season of Lost. Absolutely amazing. I am hooked. Lost has to be the best TV drama show I’ve ever seen. Anyway, I found myself watching episodes of lost until 1 or 2 in the morning. If you are a lost fan I’m sure you can relate. After about 3 nights the Lord asked me “what is getting your best?” I hesitated and gave a generic answer, so He asked me again… “what is getting your best?” You see, while I was staying up watching Lost, my wife was going to bed alone. I was mistaking 10% for my best.
The other night I was driving home, and I was listening to the Foo Fighters on my ipod. One of my favorite songs of all time is “best of you.” In the middle of the song the Lord said, “What is getting your best? Who is getting your best? If you’re not giving Me your best then something else is getting it. If something else is getting your best then what you’re telling Me is… this thing over here is more worthy of getting my best than You.” I’m telling you I feel like the Lord is hammering this point in my life because it has monumental importance. This has the potential to be a death trap in our lives if left unaddressed. So help me, I don’t want to show up before the Lord with a newspaper wrapped gift and say, “here is the best I could come up with.” So help me, I don’t want to hand my wife a paper bag and say, “don’t you feel overwhelmed with my very best.”
Something or someone is getting your best, and you determine what that something is. You also determine what your best looks like. But, don’t for one second confuse what is required of you for your best… 10% is not your best, it is what’s required.
So, what is getting the “best of you?”
In everything we do, we must excel because He is our God who gives us protection, strength and portion.
I was speaking to somebody about my secret desire to become a pastor. While I know this is a calling from God, it certainly doesn’t mean I get to slack in my current vocation while I am in this era of training and transition.
I keep my eyes on God and keep going after Him. Everything else falls into place but doesn’t do mediocrly. I take pride when my boss is so appreciate of the work I do at my job. If I am to transition out of pro geeking, by the will of God only, then I would love nothing more then to go out on top. When I give my very best, then God gets all of the glory.
This is so true. Often times I find myself trying to do something that isnt real. Or I try to be something I am not. Or try to please people I shouldnt try to please. God has a cool way of taking your perspectives about stuff and basically screaming the right perspecive at you in incredible ways.
God is awesome like that