Monday, December 30, 2013
Malachi 1:6-14
I know several people who have spent years living in the Middle East. All of them have different stories about one of the big cultural pillars in Middle Eastern culture, the meal. Before two or more people sit down to have a meal together all animosity, differences, and/or discord must be dealt with. The meal symbolizes camaraderie, peace between one another, and, in many ways, kinship. So, as we take our 2013 Western eyes and look back on the sacrificial system of ancient Israel and the burning of animals on the altar of the Temple, we get an image of "the meal" – God and man sitting down together at peace.
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the Lord Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?' You place defiled food on my altar…When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?" (Malachi 1:6, 7a, 8)
Even if I didn't like someone, I wouldn't serve them a meal of rotten meat. And when you give a gift to someone, don't you think about giving the person something that they'd like or enjoy? Of course! You don't gift your trash to people that you care about. What about God? The very simple question that hits me when I read this passage is this: Are you giving God your best?
Does Jesus get the best part of my day?
Do I honor the Holy Spirit by praying about important decisions that I have to make?
When was the last time that I told my Heavenly Father thank you for more than just the meal I was about to eat?
Considering all that God has given us, how much of it do we deserve?
Considering what we give God, does it even come close to what He's worth?
We can't pay God back for all of His blessings and He doesn't ask for payment. What God gives us is super abundant grace. What God pays attention to is whether or not we give our best. (Mark 12:41-44, below)
What does giving God your best look like?
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Mark 12:41-44
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26)
Kenny Sullivan
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