Giving God Your Last Bite
Text: Genesis 4:4 (NASB) - "Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering."
When I was dating my wife Christabel in high school and college, she had a habit that used to drive me up the wall. Almost every time we went out to eat, she would ask for the last bite of my meal.
Now, let me explain why this was such a problem. When I eat, I have a system. Every bite is carefully balanced—chicken, rice, vegetables—everything in proportion. But more importantly, I intentionally save the best pieces for the end. Those last few bites? That’s the grand finale. That’s the reward.
So you can imagine my frustration when, just as I’m approaching that final moment, she leans over and says, “Can I have the last bite?”
Absolutely not. That bite already has a destiny.
And then comes the line: “If you love me, you’ll give it to me.”
Well… almost 30 years later, you can guess how it turned out. I gave her the last bite—and learned how to eat really fast.
But here’s the point: giving her that last bite was more than just sharing—it was sacrifice. I didn’t give it because I didn’t want it. I gave it precisely because I did.
There’s a profound difference between an offering and a sacrifice. An offering is giving something that belongs to you. A sacrifice is giving something you would rather keep.
This is what we see in Abel’s response to God in the book of Genesis. He didn’t bring leftovers. He didn’t offer what was convenient. He brought the firstborn of his flock—the best portions, the parts that carried real value and personal significance. That’s what made his offering “more excellent.” It wasn’t just about what he gave; it was about what it cost him.
Real sacrifice forces us to wrestle with a simple but searching question: Would I rather keep this, or give it to God? When the honest answer is “I’d rather keep it,” but we give it anyway—that’s faith.
Sacrificial giving declares that we trust God more than we trust ourselves. It says, “Lord, You are more valuable than anything I’m holding onto.”
And this principle touches every part of our lives—our time, our talents, our resources. God isn’t asking for what’s leftover. He’s asking for what’s first… what’s best… what we’d naturally want to keep.
Because when we give God our “last bite,” we’re not losing anything—we’re revealing what we value most.
Reflection Question: What is something valuable to you that God might be asking you to offer as a sacrifice?
When I was dating my wife Christabel in high school and college, she had a habit that used to drive me up the wall. Almost every time we went out to eat, she would ask for the last bite of my meal.
Now, let me explain why this was such a problem. When I eat, I have a system. Every bite is carefully balanced—chicken, rice, vegetables—everything in proportion. But more importantly, I intentionally save the best pieces for the end. Those last few bites? That’s the grand finale. That’s the reward.
So you can imagine my frustration when, just as I’m approaching that final moment, she leans over and says, “Can I have the last bite?”
Absolutely not. That bite already has a destiny.
And then comes the line: “If you love me, you’ll give it to me.”
Well… almost 30 years later, you can guess how it turned out. I gave her the last bite—and learned how to eat really fast.
But here’s the point: giving her that last bite was more than just sharing—it was sacrifice. I didn’t give it because I didn’t want it. I gave it precisely because I did.
There’s a profound difference between an offering and a sacrifice. An offering is giving something that belongs to you. A sacrifice is giving something you would rather keep.
This is what we see in Abel’s response to God in the book of Genesis. He didn’t bring leftovers. He didn’t offer what was convenient. He brought the firstborn of his flock—the best portions, the parts that carried real value and personal significance. That’s what made his offering “more excellent.” It wasn’t just about what he gave; it was about what it cost him.
Real sacrifice forces us to wrestle with a simple but searching question: Would I rather keep this, or give it to God? When the honest answer is “I’d rather keep it,” but we give it anyway—that’s faith.
Sacrificial giving declares that we trust God more than we trust ourselves. It says, “Lord, You are more valuable than anything I’m holding onto.”
And this principle touches every part of our lives—our time, our talents, our resources. God isn’t asking for what’s leftover. He’s asking for what’s first… what’s best… what we’d naturally want to keep.
Because when we give God our “last bite,” we’re not losing anything—we’re revealing what we value most.
Reflection Question: What is something valuable to you that God might be asking you to offer as a sacrifice?
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