A.In most areas of life, we understand that in order to receive the best result, we have to give the best effort.
1.If you want to excel in school, then you must apply yourself to study.
2.If you want to be promoted in a job, then you must be diligent and do your best job.
3.If you want to make a large sum of money, then you must invest wisely.
B.The same is true in spiritual things.If we want to receive eternal life from God, then we must offer our temporal lives to Him.
1.Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:25).
2.The Lord guarantees that the sacrifices that we make for Him will be rewarded many times over (Mark 10:29-30).
C.Presently, let us consider the examples of some who gave their best to God and of some who did not.
II.GOOD EXAMPLES
A.In Mark 12:41-44, we find the example of the poor widow who gave God all that she had.
1.Jesus was teaching in the temple when He observed many people putting money into the treasury.
a.Herod’s temple was a magnificent building that Herod had remodeled to win the favor of the Jews.It was the center of Jewish life in Jerusalem.
b.The money that was given by the people was used for the service of God in supporting the priests and Levites and the operations of the temple.
2.Although Jesus saw many rich people giving large sums of money, He pointed out to His disciples a poor widow who put in only two coins.
a.In the midst of the multitude of wealthy people and the setting of this beautiful temple, Jesus saw that this poor widow had given the best example for His disciples.
b.He said that she had given more than all of the other contributors because she had given all that she had from her poverty, whereas they had given only a fraction of their surplus.
3.The widow’s example still stands as a lesson for us in giving.
a.God is pleased when we give ourselves completely to Him.We demonstrate our faith to Him when we entrust everything we have to Him.
b.Giving a small portion from abundance is easy and has little value.However, giving all to God has great value.How many of us can truly say, “I surrender all?”
B.In Matthew 26:6-13, we find the example of Mary, whose good deed is memorialized in the word of God forever.
1.Jesus had come to Bethany when Mary anointed Him with very costly oil.
a.Although Matthew did not mention her name, John revealed that this woman was indeed Mary.
i.She is the one who had “chosen that good part” when she sat at the feet of Jesus as He taught her (Luke 10:38-42).
ii.She is also the one who had expressed her faith in Christ when her brother Lazarus died (John 11:32).
b.The oil (perfume) that Mary used was very expensive.
i.Only the finest oils were stored in alabaster vials as this oil was.
ii.The disciples set the value of the oil as three-hundred denarii, which was almost eleven months’ wages (Mark 14:5; John 12:5).
2.For her good deed, Mary received criticism from the disciples and a blessing from the Lord.
a.The disciples questioned Mary’s good deed and called it wasteful.
i.They declared that the oil should have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor.
ii.Judas led the criticism, but his motives were evil.He was a thief who would have stolen some of the profits from the sale of the oil (John 12:6).
b.However, the Lord said, “She has done a good deed to Me.”
i.Jesus said that Mary had anointed His body for burial.
ii.Because of her good deed, Jesus declared that she would be remembered wherever the gospel is preached.
3.This episode involving Mary stands as an excellent example for us today.
a.Like Mary, we should offer to God that which is of great value, for He is worthy.
b.Whenever we give our best to God, we should expect similar responses as Mary received.
i.Often those who are zealous for the Lord in their homes, their work, and the church will be criticized and suspected just as Mary was.
ii.However, Christ will bless those who are zealous for Him.Therefore, let us not be discouraged by the criticism of others.
III.BAD EXAMPLES
A.In Matthew 25:14-30, we find the example of a lazy slave who failed to serve his master.
1.Jesus told the parable of three slaves who were entrusted with talents from their master.
a.Two of the slaves made profit for their master with the talents, and they received praise and reward from the master.
b.The third slave did nothing with his talent and was cursed and punished.
2.The one slave who failed his master is like so many today who give so little to God and yet expect so much from Him.
a.This slave was called wicked and lazy by the master.He had given no effort and deserved no reward.
b.Notice how the wicked slave attempted to make his laziness sound like a virtue in verses 24-25.In fact, he tried to deflect the blame for his failure onto his master.
c.Many people today live as they please while using God’s blessings for their own pleasure, and yet they expect God to reward them with eternal life at the Judgment.This is a foolish expectation for those who refuse to give their lives to the Lord.
B.In Malachi 1:6-14, we find the example of Judah, which offered blemished sacrifices to God.
1.According to the Law of Moses, no defective animals would be acceptable sacrifices to God (Lev. 22:17-20).This included animals that were blind, lame, spotted, or otherwise blemished contrary to that which was specified in the Law.
2.However, following the return of the Jews from captivity, Malachi revealed that they were violating the Law regarding sacrifices.
a.By their offerings, the Jews were dishonoring God and despising His name.In their case, they were worse for making profane sacrifices than if they had made no sacrifices at all.
b.This is because the Jews failed to offer God their best sacrifices and instead gave Him what was worthless to them.They offered to God that which they would not even offer to their own governor (v. 8).
3.These Jews were like many today who keep the best for themselves and give God the “leftovers.”
a.Regarding the contribution for the work of the church, some Christians fail to purpose in their hearts to give as God has prospered them (1Cor. 16:1-2; 2Cor. 9:7).
i.Some only give what is left after they have paid their bills and satisfied their own desires.
ii.Some others only give what they happen to have in their pockets on Sunday morning.
b.Regarding all other aspects of life, some only give God the leftovers of their time, their effort, their hearts, and their minds.
4.Jesus demands that we give Him all we have to give and that we make His kingdom our first priority (Matt. 6:33; 16:24-26).The “leftovers” simply will not be accepted.
IV.CONCLUSION
A.Giving our best to God should be a natural reaction to Him, for He is worthy of our best (Rev. 4:11; 5:12-13).He is our Creator, our Sustainer, and our Redeemer.
B.It is a blessing to know that even if our best is not very good by the world’s standards (like the case of the poor widow) or if the world is critical of our best efforts (like the disciples who criticized Mary), God is the one who judges, and He will give the reward.
