Verse of the Day: Don’t Offer God Your Leftovers

6 “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?’

7 “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.’

8 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.

Malachi 1:6-8 (NKJV)

From the Life Application Bible:

God’s law required that only perfect animals be offered to God (see, for example, Leviticus 1:3). But these priests were allowing the people to offer blind, crippled, and diseased animals to God. God accused them of dishonoring him by offering imperfect sacrifices, and he was greatly displeased. The New Testament says that our lives should be living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1). If we give God only our leftover time, money, and energy, we repeat the same sin as these worshippers, who didn’t want to bring anything valuable to God. What we give God reflects our true attitude toward him.

The people sacrificed to God wrongly through (1) expedience – being as cheap as possible, (2) neglect – not caring how they offered the sacrifice, and (3) outright disobedience – sacrificing their own way and not as God had commanded. Their methods of giving showed their real attitudes toward God. How about your attitude? Do expedience, neglect, or disobedience characterize your giving?