Scripture:
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?
Malachi 1:8a
Observation: As God pronounces correction upon the Jews, he uses this example of how they have wronged the Lord and shown him contempt ... that they do not offer the good of their abundance to the Lord. They may give a full tithe, but what they give is from their excess in that it is the flawed of their herds. They sacrifice blind and lame animals - those which were not fit to produce future wealth anyway - and in this way effectively make their sacrifices a way of dumping excess inventory and simultaneously fulfilling their obligations to God.
Our gifts to God are more than an obligation. It is true we are instructed to give, but we are to fulfill this instruction because we truly love the Lord and strive to give him our best. We give what is his, not what is the excess of ours. This is true of treasure (now days money not sheep), but also ourselves ... our time, our thoughts, our attention, our service.
Application: I will take my spare time to do things like devotions, but then spend my spare time doing those things I should not. I could spend time in the evenings meditating on God's word, not drinking wine and watching mindless television. I do not think of the things of God during my spare time.
Malachi makes it clear that we are to give to God what is our best, not our leftovers. In fact, our leftovers are beyond meaningless, they are an insult to God, for he knows we are making a conscious decision to withhold from him when we do this. May I give God the best - not just a tenth of my money, but the best free time, and the best attention of my mind, and my sacrificial service.
Prayer: Lord, I assume I will be called in the next few days to serve you more. May I answer 'yes' to your calls, knowing it is better to serve you in my precious free time than to do nothing for my selfishness. Amen.
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