Today’s Reading: Malachi 3-4
A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES
Not only did Malachi speak to them about their lack of sincerity, he also spoke of how unconfessed sin can stand in the way of God accepting our worship. He wants us to live out our worship with a sincere desire to please Him and to bring Him glory, not just to feel good about ourselves or to look good in the eyes of other people. This includes our relationships…
Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altars with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows. – Malachi 2:13-14
A QUESTION OF LOYALTY
Their pattern of disloyalty was blocking their sacrifice and worship to God. The same is true for us today. Putting God first includes the vows we made before Him, whether that’s marriage or anything else we have promised to do. God wants us to put Him first and to give Him first place in our lives. If we pour ourselves out to God, He will pour out blessings on us.
“Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’
Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!
But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’
You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. – Malachi 3:7b-12
SINCERITY — Are we going through the motions of our Christian walk or are we sincerely following Him? Our sacrifices and offerings to God are defiled when we give less than our best, less than He requires of us. He wants us to give from our heart, genuinely showing our love and faithfulness. He wants us to give in order to please Him, not to make ourselves feel good or to satisfy the minimum requirement of being a member of a congregation.
QUALITY — Are we giving our best or doing our best with what God has entrusted to us? Are we hanging on tight to this life or do we live as if everything we have comes from Him and belongs to Him?
LOYALTY — Are we committed to God? Are we faithfully following through on all we have promised before God and to God? Do our priorities reflect our loyal commitment to God?
Lord, open our eyes to the areas of our lives where we are cheating you, and therefore cheating ourselves of your blessings. Lord, open the windows of heaven for us. Pour out a blessing so great we will not have enough room to take it in! Lord, bless us with your presence today and reveal where we have lost our spiritual fervor. Place in us the desires of your heart, and cause us to stir at what moves you. We love you, Lord. We want to live sincerely — everyday giving our best to you, and remaining forever committed to who you have called us to be. Everything we do, we long to do for you and not just to please ourselves. Amen.