Scripture: Malachi 1:6-8
“A son honors his father,
And a servant his master.
If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the Lord of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
“You offer defiled food on My altar,
But say,
‘In what way have we defiled You?’
By saying,
‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’
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.
Observation:
Why is creativity and a newness of expression often frowned on by people within the church family, when it is just the expectation to do so in the world around us?
Why is late attendance to a Worship service, just what happens, when habitual lateness to work would result in losing your job?
Why is anything short of excellence a failure in the world, but in teh church mediocrity is expected (or at least anticipated)?
Why do we not honour our God significantly higher than our Boss, our spouse, our family, our coach, our....?
Nothing much seems to have changed since the time of Malachi, but our God still calls us, He is unchanging, all powerful, majestic, He is God, He wants to become 'Lord'.
Application:
Any time my standards in serving Christ become a shadow or weak copy of my commitments anywhere else - I want to be reminded that it is to God that I want to give my BEST. mY best creativity, boldness, time, resources, ...... My best and my first.
Prayer:
Lord help us to have a healthy perspective on life through an understanding of how awesome and mighty You are! Help us all as Your children to honour You with every part of our lives and show our world how much we love You by every part of our lives.
Amen
