"And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you
favorably? Says the LORD of hosts." (Mal. 1:8)
One day while walking with some children, Queen Mary was caught in a sudden shower. Quickly
taking shelter on the porch of a home, she knocked at the door and asked to borrow an umbrella.
"I'll send it back tomorrow," she said. The queen had deliberately disguised her appearance by
putting on a hat that partly covered her face and by wearing some very plain clothes. The
householder, reluctant to give a stranger her best umbrella, offered her a castoff she found in the
attic. One rib was broken and there were several holes in it. Apologizing, she turned it over to the
monarch, whom she did not recognize. The next day she had another visitor -- a man with gold
braid on his uniform and an envelope in his hand. "The queen sent me with this letter," he said,
"and also asked me to thank you personally for the loan of your umbrella." Stunned, the woman
burst into tears. "Oh, what an opportunity I missed that I did not give her my very best," she
cried.
Many, I fear, will have to make the same confession when they face the Lord at the end of life's road. (From Bible Illustrator)