Before starting a bus trip into the Andes Mountains, I was startled when our Bolivian driver thrust a beer bottle outside his side window and poured the contents onto the ground. One of my fellow passengers, noting my bewilderment, explained: “The driver followed an ancient pagan ritual, making a drink offering to the gods to ensure a safe journey.”
In Old Testament times, priests also offered a daily drink offering of wine to the Lord in obedience to His command. This practice accompanied the burnt sacrifice of a lamb. Perhaps God wanted the Israelites to learn that nothing they dedicated to the Lord was ever wasted.
Hundreds of years later, Paul’s last letter to Timothy makes it plain that he was ready to pour himself out to the last drop even after a lifetime of faithful service. Is it fear, selfishness, or just plain laziness that prevents our own willingness to give one hundred percent of ourselves to God?
We sometimes tell habitual complainers to “put a cork in it!” But some of us are guilty of going through life bottling up important words, actions, or even talents that God wants to use to make a difference to others around us. The Holy Spirit can uncork our resistance if we dare to ask. And what flows from our hearts will never be wasted.
Bottled up or poured out? Make poured out the epitaph at the end of your life. What a tragedy to die with the good stopped up within you.
Deborah Meroff served as a missionary writer and photographer for thirty years. While based in London, she was privileged to visit 115 countries and publish scores of articles and a dozen books in various languages. She now resides in Maine, USA.