Wednesday Reading: Malachi 1:6-14
Key Verse: Malachi 1:13
13 You also said, Behold, what a weariness it is! And you have puffed at it, says Jehovah of Hosts. And you bring plunder, and the lame, and the sick, and you bring the food offering. Should I accept it from your hand, says Jehovah?
Devotion:
One of the recurring things that we find in our bibles was how people offered their sacrifices in the wrong manner in the Old Testament. Is it any wonder then that God wanted and end to the sacrifices seeing all that was going wrong with them? God wants a cheerful giver and not one that is doing it just because it has to be done or giving the first things that comes to hand instead of giving what should be given or what is required.
Does this mean that this is all to no effect because we are living in the time of grace after Christ has already given His life on the cross? Well yes the time of animal sacrifice is over, but the time of our own daily, continual sacrifice will never end. That does not mean we have to go out and find the required, clean sheep without blemishes because Christ was that sacrifice without a blemish. What we should be doing is taking on the example that Christ has given us and to come forward and be willing to give our all for Him.
Christ wants us to be willing to do what is required to make sure that others get to hear about Him. He wants us to take His name forward, to take His Word forward and to share it with others. We know the truth because the truth has set us free; we now should be willing to take that truth forward with us, without fear and without hindrance so that others will get to know that freedom too. Christ set us free so that we can show others the truth. We are required to give people the truth, not lies, not stumbling blocks, not habits, not religions, just the plain truth that He is God. He has done it all for us so that we can do this for Him!
Points to Ponder:
What do you offer others?
What do you offer Christ?