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The Way
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. – Malachi 1:6-8 HCSB
One of the leading books today is titled “Your Best Now” and is all about what we can get out of God. Isn’t that interesting in view of the biblical stance that man’s whole purpose is to serve and worship God – not the other way around? Pardon my bluntness, but James calls Mr. Olsteen’s kind of narcissistic, egocentric and materialistic thinking spiritual adultery.[1]
We recently had a wedding at our church and before it took place, there was a flurry of activity as repairs were made, walls painted and floors cleaned. Now don’t get me wrong. I think the building should look good for a wedding and I did my fair share of the repairs.
However, I find it ironic that we did all that work for a service centered on two humans, and yet we routinely allow junk to accumulate and walls to go unwashed for services during which we encounter and worship the King of kings.
I find it tragic that people showed up early to the wedding in order to hand out bulletins or pin on flowers, but we struggle with Sunday school teachers who regularly show up ten minutes late to a room full of kids waiting to be introduced to their Messiah.
I find it astonishing that our hearts will leap into our mouths when a police officer pulls in behind us and we know we are driving five miles over the speed limit, but will blithely disregard God’s scriptural precepts and the policies of His church.
This cannot be. Everything we do should be done to the best of our ability as a sacrifice to the Lord God.[2] Our entire lives, our very bodies are to be sacrificed[3] to Elah Shamayim v’Arah, God of Heaven and Earth.[4]
When we give Him less than our best, it leads Him to say, “"I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, so you would no longer kindle a useless fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you…and I will accept no offering from your hands.”[5]
Our level of commitment demonstrates our level of passion. We must give God our best now for if our passion wanes, God may remove our church’s core and we will die.[6]
[2] Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:23-24
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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