Better than Our Best

“There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:16)

The lasagna pan was empty. The sheet cake was long gone. Every dish on the potluck table had been devoured—except mine.

Have you ever felt your best just wasn’t good enough?

As a young wife, I felt that way at our church potluck dinners. Everyone else’s food looked delicious and tasted as good as it looked. But no matter what I brought, it just sat on the table.

I know what it feels like to do my best and not measure up.

In 1 Kings 17, we find another woman whose best didn’t seem to be enough. She was a poor widow with a son and they were near starvation. She had a handful of flour in a jug and a little oil. Elijah asked her for some bread. The woman explained she only had enough for her and her son to eat one last meal and then they would die.

Though she had tried, she couldn’t feed herself or her son, much less Elijah. Her best just wasn’t enough.

Elijah said feed him first and God would stretch the flour to feed her and her son. She mustered up the faith and offered her last bit of food to God, and her best suddenly became better.

Every time she went to make bread, she found flour in the jug and oil in the bottle. When her best wasn’t enough, God made it more than enough.

Paul says we’re responsible for doing our creative best with our lives (Galatians 6:5). Our families deserve our best. Those we serve at church and in our community deserve our best. God gave us his best when he sent Jesus to redeem us. But our best apart from God isn’t enough—it can’t be.

Jesus said, “…Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. But apart from me you can’t do a thing” (John 15:5). Our best done on our own will never be enough. In fact, Jesus said we can’t do anything for the Kingdom without him.

But when we offer our best to God, it becomes more than enough. God takes our best and makes it better. Give your best to God and then get ready—a bountiful harvest is coming!

Dear God, thank you for making me unique and for loving me just like I am. Help me discover the gifts you’ve given me and how I can use them for your Kingdom. And help me to always do my best as I serve you and others. Take my best and make it better. I love you, Lord. In the name of Jesus, amen.