God Does not Want Your Leftovers

In Malachi 1:6-14, Israel is chastised for offering burnt offerings that were unacceptable to God. Instead of offering the best animals as sacrifice, the Israelites had gotten in the habit of giving God animals that were not useful to them. Instead of giving God their best, they offered the blind, lame, female (which was forbidden if there was a male in the flock), and animals that were already dead. 

In vs. 14, Malachi describes a man as a cheat who uses a male for business and offers a female to God.

 The Israelites should have viewed worshiping in the Temple as the highest privilege a man could have, but they scoffed at it and dishonored God. Malachi calls their sacrifice polluted (vs.7), evil (vs.8), vain (vs.10), and robbery against God (vs.14).

Do we do this in the church? Do those outside the church see our disrespect of God and mimic it? Do we offer God our time if we have enough of it? Is our worship half-hearted? Do we serve others and our community if we have the energy? Do we set aside time for prayer, or do we just do it when we think of it? Do we make it in time for Bible study only if we didn't stay up too late the night before? Do we just give God our leftovers?

God doesn't want our leftovers. He wants us to be a living sacrifice. When we half-heartedly serve him, it is equivalent to bringing the lame, the sick, and the blind to God. We aren't nurturing our souls; we are offering impure worship, and the criticisms above apply to us. 

How can we avoid giving God our leftovers? 

Show up. It's simple. my professors at UTC and your boss at work all agree that the first part of good performance is showing up. Be there for worship, class, volunteering, and any other opportunity you have. You don't know when you can be used until someone asks, and for someone to ask, you have to be available. 

Serve. Serve others and serve God. There are few things better than knowing you've helped someone who truly needs it. Our congregation gives us many opportunities to serve. You have opportunity. Work with kids, help the pantry, help others who are leading a project, help in VBS, teach a class. Not everyone has the same talents, and that is why we need yours. I'm not that handy, but you might be! That might be just the talent we need, and you need to use it!

Pray. You cannot expect to have a relationship with someone who you never talk to. Your relationship with God needs to be nurtured just as much as your relationship with your neighbor. If you no longer talk, the relationship will dissolve. 

Study. If you're going to talk to God, you probably need to let him talk back. 

Be pure. Personally, nothing makes me feel farther from God than when I know I've failed him. Any attempt at service to him feels fake when I know I haven't been loyal to him. But the solution to that is simple even if it isn't always easy. Repent. Pray. Lean on someone when you need to. It's okay. Christ knew we would fall short, and he offers his grace. 

There are legitimate reasons that prevent some of us from being at worship all the time or serving like we know we should. On the other hand, when we say that we don't have the time to help, the money to give, or the energy to work is it because we already gave that time or money to something else? Are we already spent when we get around to serving God? God doesn't want your leftovers. He expects your best. Let's give it to him!