Giving God Your Best
Introduction:
You hear a lot about giving your best;
giving your best on your job, in school, on the athletic
field. Did you know that God wants your best in worship?
He’s always wanted His people to give their best. They
haven’t always done it, though.
Text: Malachi 1:6-14
Body:
I. The Text
Verse 6:
Jehovah is speaking to the priests of
Israel. Today, all Christians are priests. (I Peter 2:9)
They didn’t value God’s name. They had a lack of respect
for Him and His Word. We should have the attitude of the
Psalmist as expressed in Psalm 34:3. They despised His name
by not obeying His Word. They didn’t love God as they
claimed; but they were cold and insensitive. (Luke 6:46)
Giving God our best means to respect His Word and esteem it
highly. Note the attitude seen in I Thessalonians 2:13.
Verses 7-9: They did make an offering;
but it wasn’t their best. They did the least they could,
the minimum. They knew what God expected. (Deuteronomy
15:21)
When you give God your scraps, you are
despising Him. You are showing how little respect you have
for Him. Does God get our leftovers in time, money,
passion, enthusiasm, talent, abilities . . .?
If our worship time is minimal, aren’t we
dishonoring God? Aren’t we doing what we want, instead of
what God wants us to do?
We are priests. (Revelation 1:6) We have
an exalted role. We need to fulfill our commitment.
Verses 10-11:
God told them it would be better to close
the temple doors than to continue the hypocrisy. Listen to
the words of Isaiah. (Isaiah 1:11-15) Jeremiah said
something similar to the people of his day. (Jeremiah
6:19-20)
Verses 12-14:
The people were not concerned that their
worship was defiled and polluted. By not giving God their
best, they were abusing His altar and showing a lack of
respect. Worship was a wariness to them. It was a burden
to be suffered through. Note Isaiah 43:22-24.
They were giving God what practically cost
nothing. They sacrificed the lame and sick. God is a Great
King, the Lord of Hosts, and He deserves respect. Hallmark
Cards’ motto is: “When you care to give the very best” God
doesn’t accept excuses or shoddy work!
II. The Application
God wants our very best in worship. Here
are a few suggestions that I have found to be very useful.
1. Center your worship on Jehovah.
(Psalm 95:1-7)
2. Put your “all” into it. Give God your
everything. Don’t be a spectator. Others can’t worship for
you. God seeks “worshippers.” (John 4:23-24)
3. Be on time and bring your Bible.
Listen carefully to the words of the songs, the prayers, and
the sermon.
4. Remember that worship is a privilege
and a blessing.
Conclusion:
Listen to the following words in Hebrews
12:28-29. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom
which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may
serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our
God is a consuming fire.”
Bobby Stafford
September 1, 2013
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