“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My fear?” says the Lord of hosts… “When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil?”
Malachi 1:6–8“You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord of hosts… “Cursed is the deceiver who has in his flock a male, and takes a vow, but sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King,” says the Lord of hosts, “and My name is to be feared among the nations.”
Malachi 1:13–14
Last year, I read this passage again. It wasn’t the first time I had read it, but this time it grieved my heart in a way it never had before.
What struck me even more was that the people had become comfortable making excuses. They complained that serving God was a burden. They treated worship as something tiresome and offered Him what was blind, lame, and diseased. In other words, they gave God what cost them the least while keeping the best for themselves.
As I reflected on this passage, I realized that although we no longer bring animals to the altar, we can still offer God blemished sacrifices.
I began asking myself some uncomfortable questions.
Isn’t God worthy of my undivided attention?
Why should I be on my phone while I am in church? Where is my reverence for the Lord? Why should I be scrolling through social media when it is time for fellowship? If I would not disrespect an important person standing in front of me, why should I treat the presence of the King of kings so casually?
Then my thoughts went even deeper.
Jesus Christ was God’s perfect sacrifice for us, without spot or blemish. The Father withheld nothing but gave His very best. Yet what kind of worship do I bring back to Him?
Scripture tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. A sacrifice should inconvenience you, your comfort and priorities because a sacrifice has to cost you something.
Prayer should inconvenience me.
Fasting should inconvenience me.
Reading the Word should sometimes cost me my comfort. There are days when seeking God will mean sacrificing extra sleep, entertainment, or even time I wanted to spend doing something else. Consecration has always come with a cost.
As I continue learning this truth, I often remind myself:
Isn’t He worthy of my best praise?
Isn’t He worthy of my deepest consecration?
Isn’t He worthy of my first and best, not my leftovers?
Isn’t He worthy of the tithe, and even more?
Isn’t He worthy of me refusing to bow to the idols that compete for my affection?
Isn’t He worthy of me waking up early to spend time with Him?
Every day my flesh wants comfort, convenience, and distraction. But every day the Holy Spirit reminds me that the Lord is worthy.
May we stop offering God blind and lame sacrifices. May we stop giving Him excuses instead of obedience, convenience instead of consecration, and leftovers instead of our firstfruits. The One who gave His very best for us deserves nothing less than our very best in return.