A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am

a master, where is your fear of me? says the Lord of Armies to you priests, who despise my name. Yet

you ask, “How have we despised your name?” By presenting defiled food on my altar. (Malachi 1:6-7)

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is only 11 days away! When I was a child, we would make the eight-

hour drive from Atlanta, Georgia to Sones Chapel, Mississippi to celebrate Thanksgiving with my mom’s

side of the family. The journey itself was akin to the early settlers sojourning West on the Oregon Trail

with our small GMC pickup truck packed with food, hunting rifles, ammunition, deer stands and clothing

for two weeks.

While my extended family was limited in financial resources, they never failed to put a ridiculous

amount of food on the dinner table at Thanksgiving. And not just turkey and dressing… I’m talking

spiraled ham, homemade rolls, gravy, green beans, sweet potato casserole and an assortment of pies

and treats. The meal itself was amazing, but the best part of Thanksgiving was THE LEFTOVERS!

Somehow, the beans got tastier, the sweet potatoes got sweeter, the leftover turkey became gourmet

turkey sandwiches, the spiraled ham and ham bone became the centerpiece of mom’s red beans and

rice recipe. Thanksgiving leftovers were INCREDIBLE… until they weren’t.

Eventually, I couldn’t stomach another bite of Thanksgiving leftovers. The turkey got tough, the dressing

got dry, the green beans got congealed and slimy -- and before long I found myself exclaiming “NO

MORE LEFTOVERS!” Malachi 1:6-7 begins with a similar complaint from God. After reminding Israel of

His enduring love in verse 1, He questions their lack of devotion and affection. Israel’s worship and

service to God had become cold and stale. Simply put, they were giving God their leftovers. There is a lot

to unpack this week, but let’s begin with a couple of questions:

How passionate is your worship of Jesus? How intentional is your service to the Lord? Would you say

you’re on fire or simply giving God your leftovers… leftover time, leftover affection, leftover service?

This week let’s memorize this passage: “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel,

the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all

your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the

second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment

greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)



By Jimmy Carter

Jimmy serves as the Ministries Pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church. He is married to Carrie, his treasured

wife of 24 years, and they have one beloved daughter named Christy Ann “C.A.” who is a Senior at LCA

and will attend UK and play golf for the Wildcats next Fall.