So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. And he said, "Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.
Giving Our Best
In her book The Gospel in Leviticus, Eleanor Herr Boyd tells of a missionary in India who saw a woman standing at the water of the Ganges River. In her arms was a sickly, whining infant, while at her side stood a beautiful, strong, healthy child. When the missionary returned, he saw her with the sickly child in her arms, but the beautiful boy was gone. He knew she had thrown her child to the crocodiles in the turbid river to appease her god. He asked her, "If you felt you had to do it, why didn't you throw in the sickly little one?" The woman drew herself erect and proudly replied, "We give our gods the best."
David was committed to this same belief. On one occasion he had expressed a desire to taste the water from the well in Bethlehem. Since Bethlehem was occupied by Philistine soldiers at the time, this was no small challenge. Three of David's mighty men, however, broke through the enemy lines and retrieved the requested water. Yet it was so precious, bought at the risk of his men's own lives, that David couldn't use it for himself. It was the most valuable possession he had, so he gave it to the Lord.
God deserves our finest. When it was His turn to give, God gave the most precious gift He had, His only begotten Son. With such an example, how could a Christian do anything less?
Give your best to the Lord. Whether it's treasures, time or talents, God deserves more than your leftovers.
The God who gave us His best will not accept less from us.