No one has given as much as God has given to man.  The verse is known around the world.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son…(John 3:16).  That act demonstrated the height of God’s love for mankind.  Paul spoke of it in the book of Romans.

Romans 5:8 (ESV)
⁸  But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God could have put a stop to the travesty that was the mock trial of Jesus and ultimately His death on the cross, but God loved us enough to allow it to happen so that we might be saved.  The truth is, it was all God’s plan from before the ages began (2 Timothy 1:9).

When Paul wanted to encourage the saints at Corinth to give to the poor saints in Judea, he used the best example that could be given—the self-sacrifice of our Lord and Savior.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)
⁹  For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

The point of it is, when it comes to giving, God, both the Father and the Son, gave their very best.  They deserve the best from us as well.

When we give our best to God, we are showing Him how much we love Him.  There is nothing we have that God needs.  Our gifts to Him do not enhance His existence at all.  God is completely self-sustained.  When we give to God, whether it be giving financially to the cause of Christ, or giving ourselves to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5), we are showing God love, and He appreciates it.  This is only true, however, when we give Him our best, otherwise it is more of an insult than anything else.

The Jews demonstrated this when they returned from their captivity.  While it appears that they did refrain from returning from their old idolatrous ways, they developed other less than desirable traits.  One was not giving God the respect that He deserves.  In their sacrifices to God, they were not giving the best they had, but instead were offering animals that were lame.  This was God’s response to them.

Malachi 1:6 (ESV)
⁶  “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor?”

Indeed, giving God less than our best dishonors Him, and ultimately demonstrates a lack of love.  We must endeavor to always give God our best.  When we worship Him, He deserves our very best.  When we give, in any capacity, He deserves our best.  When we work at furthering the cause of Christ, God deserves our best, both as individual Christians and as local churches.  Whatever we do for God cannot come close to comparing to what He has done for us.

God has given us His best, showing just how much He loves us.  What kind of love do we show Him in return.  Giving Him our best in everything we do is a good starting place.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.