Refund?

 

I finished my meal at Chick fil-A a couple of weeks ago and was cleaning up the mess.  A Styrofoam cup, wadded up paper napkins, and an empty cardboard fry container was on the tray to be thrown away.  But I had an unopened Chick fil-A sauce and a ketchup, so I carried them back to the counter.  I plopped them down on the counter, and with a mischievous glint in my eye said, “Can I get a refund for these unused condiments?”  Without batting an eye, Miss Bunny said, “I’ll give you exactly what you paid for them.”  Oops!  She had me there.  They had cost me nothing, so I was refunded nothing.  Hey, how often do we go to church expecting God to bless us when we have put nothing into the service ourselves?  Have we prayed for the pastor during the week as he has prepared the sermon?  Have we read our Bibles and prepared our hearts to meet with God?  Have we prayed about how much extra cash that we could afford to put into the offering plate when it comes by our seat?  Did we get to church early so that we had time to calm our hearts in preparation for the good Lord to work?  We expect to get more out of the service that we have put into it!  David said in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”  David was prepared for God to work in his heart, because he asked the Lord to clean out the trash.  Hey, this Sunday, don’t arrive at church with a cluttered mind … prepare your heart for the service, and then go away blessed, because you have met with your Creator.