Friday, August 31, 2012

Does Your Worship Honor the Lord?

Scripture: Malachi 1:6-10
"'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?'  "You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The table of the LORD is to be despised.'  "But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts.  "But now will you not entreat God's favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts.  "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD of hosts, "nor will I accept an offering from you.

Insights: One last thought this week.  We read a passage like this one and our minds immediately go to Sunday morning worship services at church.  The reality is offerings were presented to God daily at the temple.  This mindset changes the focus of worship even more.  We now have to evaluate our daily walk with the Lord God.  Beloved, how often during the day do you think of our Lord?  The things you do, the decisions you make throughout the day ought to reflect a spirit of worship to God.  My fear, however, is we rarely think about our love relationship with the Father outside of “formal” worship settings.  To be even blunter, I am not certain how much we think about God during our “formal” worship services.  Even though the verses we have studied this week were written 400 years before Jesus, I think they could have been written by a contemporary to us in 2012.  We are a people who desperately want this world and all it has to offer and at the same time want God to bless and favor us.  James is clear when he wrote, “friendship with the world is hatred toward God (4:4).”  Until we come to the place we recognize our desperateness for God, then our worship, more than likely, is going to be defiled.  Beloved, repent and seek pure worship with our loving Lord.  Worship Him in truth and spirit.  Show your love in your obedience!

Questions:
  1. What kind of offering are you presenting to God on Monday, Wednesday or Friday?
  2. Do you even think about your worship and offering outside of the context of Sunday morning church?
Prayer: Father, may You be pleased with the offering I bring to You today.  Amen.

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