Giving my Best

Baseball great Joe DiMaggio was a unique player. He was known for giving 100% every time he stepped onto the field. Each grounder, pop fly, and time at bat was an exercise in maximum effort. He just never quit. When asked why he continually gave it all he had (even when the game was out of reach), DiMaggio smiled and said, "There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time; I owe him my best."

Great point.

Joe knew that his effort playing baseball reflected his opinion of the game. His action also reflected his relationship with the sport and his dedication to his responsibilities. Joe D. was a player's player. I can only imagine when he passed away in 1999 at the age of 84, he had no regrets. He had given his best.

But that was only for the game of baseball.

Imagine if we lived like that for God. Everything we did, from when the alarm went off to when our heads hit the pillow at night, we gave 100% of everything we were created to be.

What if God got our best with every breath?

We could do this in three ways:

• The first is to give God all we are. In the book of Matthew, Jesus said, "You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." (22:37). That's everything. We give our hearts to God with every emotion we feel. Feeling sad? Love God. Feeling elated, defeated, promoted, or discouraged? We love God in those feelings also. Our soul—who we are that will live eternally—loves God with that, too. Lastly, our mind—every decision, analysis, and intuition—loves God. Honor Him. Adore God with your thoughts; He will fill them with clarity, purpose, and direction.

You are a living sacrifice to His greatness. He deserves your total self.

• Another way we can give God 100% is to love Him with the first fruits. Time and time again in the Bible we read about people giving God the first of what He enables them to produce. We can't love our Heavenly Father 100% when we aren't willing to part with 10% of what He provides. We can give back to God by tithing our resources—our time and our talents. Give God the first slice, not the leftovers in the back of the fridge. God is worthy of this and more.
• The final way to love God is to give Him the best we can do. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

A great reminder from Scripture is that everything we do is measured and evaluated. I'm not talking evaluations from your boss or your parent. Everything we do, God looks at it in light of our potential. Is this the best we can do? Are we operating at the peak of our Creator's intention? God deserves our top gear. Not because of personal gain or advancement of our plan, but because we remember the sacrifice He made on our behalf. Christ gave 100% of Himself that day on the cross. 100% of Him came out of the tomb, and ALL of Him awaits our return home.