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by Kevin Pauley
"’A son honors [his] father and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is [your] fear of Me?’ says the Lord of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name."
Yet you ask: "How have we despised Your name?"
"By presenting defiled food on My altar."
You ask: "How have we defiled You?"
“When you say: ‘The Lord's table is contemptible.’ When you present a blind [animal] for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick [animal], is it not wrong? Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts. "And now ask for God's favor. Will He be gracious to us? [Since] this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts. – Malachi 1:6-9 HCSB
A tzaddik purchased a very expensive shirt to wear to a feast he was planning to attend in another city. On the way, he met a poor man who also wanted to attend the feast but had nothing appropriate to wear. The tzaddik pulled out his brand new expensive shirt and gave it immediately to the poor man. “Take it! Take it!” he joyfully urged.
The tzaddik’s friends were incredulous and after the poor man left they queried, “Why didn’t you just give him one of your nice, older shirts? Why did you have to give him your very best shirt – the one you just spent all your money on?”
The gracious elder laughed and responded, “My yetzer hara (evil inclination) urged me to do that very thing but I need to work on suppressing my greed and selfishness, so I took the opportunity to do so. Every gift given to the poor is also given to the Lord.[1] Shouldn’t Bashamayim receive the very best?”
It is our yetzer hara that impels us to give our second best to the Lord. We clear out our house, look at the junk and think, “I’ll donate this to the church.”
When I lived in Africa, I saw the junk that was sent as aid from the United States: old bras, broken glasses, single shoes…We had a term for this – “Junk for Jesus”
Elah Sh’maya V’Arah looks at our gifts and asks, “Where is My honor? If I am a master, where is your fear of me?” The houses of worship that the tzaddikim build should be the most beautiful they can afford. Their music should be the most professional they can produce. The gifts each of them give should be the best quality they can give. They don’t have to be the best that ANYONE can give, for God has not gifted us all equally with money. They simply need to be the best we can give.
“Our best for the Christ” should be the watchword of the tzaddikim. This is how they honor Elohim.
Kevin Pauley is a pastor and writer. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Lynn, their five children and two dogs. His internet address is Berea.
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