Dirty Penny Thinking

Malachi 1:

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

⁷ “By offering defiled food on my altar.

“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. ⁸ When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.

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When the snow melted I spotted change on the grimy parking lot. In spite of the salt, dirt and gook, I picked up the soiled coins and placed them in my pocket. When I finished my shopping the cashier quoted my balance due, “That will be $8.22” is an example. I reached into my pocket and shoved the shiny dimes and pennies aside only to pick the grimy, nasty change. I handed the wet change over with confidence!

• Sometimes I don’t give my best.
• Sometimes I hand the other person the worst and keep the best for me.
• Sometimes I make a judgment call on who “deserves” the best.

“Dirty Penny Thinking” crept into other parts of my life. Soon I was not sharing “my” stuff. I was holding back the best for me and giving others the leftovers. I went to church and said “Not this week, I don’t have enough to give” as I held back a nice portion for myself.

• GOD says to me “I want your best.”
• GOD says to me “I want you to give me your first, not your last.”
• GOD says to me “I want your attitude towards me to be top of mind, not second or third.”

Giving GOD my best means I keep the Dirty Penny and give others the best, even when they don’t “deserve” it. “Clean Penny” thinking shows up when someone is not giving me their best. I need to do my best in spite of what is going on around me. That is when GOD is pleased.

• Are you treating someone poorly because they have treated you poorly?
• Do you give someone your worst, trying to keep the best for yourself?
• Can you stop thinking “that” person “deserves” mediocre to poor treatment?
• Will you give someone your best today in service to GOD?