There's an old story about a family with four children, who was celebrating Mom's birthday. Dad and the kids decided to create their own birthday presents for Mom that year. Mom sat in her favorite chair expectantly.

The oldest girl wrote Mom a poem. "Roses are red, violets are blue; You are the best Mom, It really is true." She had written it on a piece of paper and decorated the edges like a certificate. After Reading it, she placed it on a silver tray and presented it to Mom.

The oldest boy took the tray and placed a carefully drawn and painted scene of their house and family. For a seven year old it wasn't bad.

The youngest boy took the tray and set a paper dessert plate which he had colored and decorated on the tray. The plate contained 3 Oreo cookies from his school lunch. They were his favorites, so this was quite a sacrifice. (There were four but temptation got the better of him when he was setting everything up. Mom could see cookie crumbs in the corner of his mouth.)

The youngest daughter was a little distraught. She hadn't thought of anything or made anything and in their excitement Dad and the other children forgot her. But she took the silver tray, set it on the floor in front of mom, stepped onto the tray and said, "I give you me."

I love that story, partly because it's just cute, but mostly because I think it teaches us about what God expects in our everyday Christian walk. You see, I think what God expects can be summed up in the old song, "All of me." "All of me, why not take all of me, can't you see I'm no good without you. You took the part that once was my heart, so why not take all of me."

And that's the truth, we are no good without God. God wants all of us. Not just our heart, not just our mind, not just our soul, not just our strength but every bit of us. And God wants us to bring it to Him like that little girl, and place all we are and have and ever will be at God's Altar.