66-DAY JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 38 - Malachi (Are We Insulting God with our Offering?)
‘"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? … 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. … For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations," Says the Lord of hosts.’” (Malachi 1:6-11)
I just heard a statistic report that despite the Americans being the riches people on earth and Christians being the most generous givers to Christian work, the average giving to Kingdom work is two dollars and change! God is saying in effect to the average American Christian: “Is it not evil?
If we have been saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, if we have recieved the gift of the Holy Spirit, if we have been born in the family of God and have enjoyed the fellowship of the Church, can we not agree with God that He is great and deserves the very best that we can offer to Him?
As we prepare for this Christmas and as we think of what gifts we will be giving to loved ones, let us first think what kind of sacrifice we are offering to God. I am not just referring to our financial giving to our own churches but the overall sacrifice we give to God with our lives. Paul describes it best in Romans 12 verse 1:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
So, what change will there be in your offering to God?
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