Leftovers

Leftovers Scripture Reading Deuteronomy 6:3-9 A question for you–are your pants still a bit snug from the holiday festivities? If so, no worries! Chances are, the person next to you has their top button unbuttoned and you just don’t know! You know what I’m talking about! Aaahhhhhh… the holidays! Endless amounts of cookies, cakes and punch. Leftovers galore!! Leftovers. Who doesn’t love a turkey sandwich with cranberry? Homemade pot pies with a buttery, flaky crust stuffed full of leftover goodness. Pumpkin pie for breakfast. Make that breakfast, lunch and dinner! So, what do you do with your leftovers? I know people that toss them out and others that save them. Sometimes for too long. The fine folks at Butterball tell us we should only keep our turkey leftovers in the fridge for four days. What? Do they not know that Thanksgiving is on a Thursday and first day of deer is that following Monday? What about Turkey Tuesday? You know…if one didn’t get their deer on Monday, then out they go Tuesday with leftover turkey sandwiches for lunch! I suppose they have a point. I’m sure we all agree that while leftovers are great, even the best Tupperware will not keep them from spoiling. What else is leftover in your life? Do you treat others as a leftover in your life? Are there days YOU feel like a leftover? Sapped of your energy, time and talent? Do you at times feel a bit wilted like the forgotten salad in the back of your fridge? Does the world just seem to drain you...and then forget about you? Another thought…is it possible that God is a….here it comes…a mere leftover in your life? Is He stored away like the leftovers in the Tupperware containers only to be enjoyed when we are “feeling like it” or wanting “something good”? Is He taken off the shelf and only opened on Sunday for everyone to enjoy? If so, you aren’t alone. Now more than ever we are Distracted by things that interfere with our walk with God. Family, careers, finances, school, health, politics and pandemics seem to have us wound so tight we don’t know which way is up. Let us not forget how easy it is to become captive in our own minds. Our thoughts, habits, anxieties and worries keep us distracted as well. Did you know these things are considered in God’s Word to be idols? Idols? Yes, idols are not just statues worshipped as gods. The Bible clearly indicates that anything we place above or before God and separates us is an idol. Yep, that means your money. We know the Bible is clear in reminding us we cannot serve God and Money. Our marriage. Our kids. Our careers. Of course, these all have a place in our lives and God certainly wants us to enjoy our life. With balance, perspective and priority. Jesus tells us that following Him and being a disciple comes with a cost. The things we love? They must come second only to God. You see, God is not in the business of being in second place. Nope-He wants The front. The lead. Top spot. Numero uno. Remember, as well, God chose us first. Really, when we look at all He has sacrificed for us. All He has done-the promises. His Word. His love. (definitely His love…) Why on Earth would we even consider placing Him anywhere other than out front? So. How can we keep God front and center? Fresh and new every day? Not in a box on a shelf? What do we do when someone gives us a beautiful bouquet of flowers? Do we hide them away? NO! We display them right away. The prettiest vase. The best spot with the proper amount of water and sunlight. They bring us joy and we are quick to tell others. Balance. Priorities. Commitment and consistency are key. Bigger than these? Prayer. Fellowship. Diving into His Word. And lots of it! No time? Make time. Look at the things in your life standing between you and God. God does not want your leftovers. Of course, He will be there to pick us up on the rough days. The days the world forgets you. He has promised to do that. He cannot do it, however, if He is stuck in a box on a shelf somewhere; and you cannot hear Him when He’s knocking on your heart to come in. Start today. He is not a New Year’s resolution we make. Not a quick fix. He is a solution. Would you rather a resolution or a solution? Resolutions fail quickly and for good reason. Unrealistic goals and expectations. We take on too much, too fast. Involve Him in your daily routines. Like brushing your teeth. Taking your vitamin. We do so many things on a daily basis out of routine. We don’t even think about them! We just do them because we know we are supposed to do them! View your walk with God in the same way. Just do it!! No need to overthink. We overthink everything anymore. Remember, out of sight-out of mind! He is not interested at all in you reading the Bible in a year. Praying lengthy, eloquent prayers. Spoon feeding is best. A little will go a long way. He longs for progress and a daily walk. Not perfection. Take Him everywhere!! Take. Him. Everywhere. This message came to me one day on my way to work. You see, while driving I allowed my right hand to pat around the front passenger seat a bit to locate my cell phone. My hand then slipped into my purse. A quick swipe of my Apple watch to ping my phone confirmed my fear. I had forgotten my phone. What to do? (In case you are wondering…I conducted my own survey on social media this week and the ¾ of people said they would rather leave their purse/wallet at home- with I’m assuming their I.D. and money -than their cell phone! Oh, how times have changed…) BUT……I was one of those people. I went home and retrieved what I thought I couldn’t live without that day. Then it hit me. I heard my heart say, “Would you have turned around for Me? Do I mean that much to you? Can you live without Me?” I must say it came at a critical point. I was feeling washed up, defeated and dismissive of everyone and everything around me. My daily walk with my beloved Father was faltering. Where had I put Him? What shelf had I placed Him on? I was giving Him what was left of me at the end of the day. Which wasn’t much and it was clear it was affecting me emotionally, physically and spiritually. I was drained and it showed. By now you have figured out the meaning of the title. In closing I would like to share with you some other titles I tossed around. “Resolution or Solution?” Always go with the solution. “Resolve to Dissolve” the things in your life keeping God in second place. “Riding Shotgun”- take God with you everywhere. He deserves the front seat. He’s not a back seat driver. Finally, “First Things First.” You know what to do. Happy New Year!! janet