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Read > Malachi 1:6-14

Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated Me! (3:8).

The book of Malachi was written around 420 BC as a warning to the nation of Israel. God accused the priests of offering “defiled” sacrifices (Malachi 1:7). Specifically, He was concerned with the nation’s direct disobedience in not giving Him their best (v. 8), and for withholding the tithes He had commanded them to give for His work (3:8-14).

So what does this have to do with us? We don’t bring God animal sacrifices. The death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ was the one-time sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:1-18). Malachi doesn’t apply to us, right? Surely we’re not guilty of giving God blemished sacrifices! Or are we?

Let’s look at just a couple of areas where I give God “blemished sacrifices”:

Time. I get up in the morning and have a hundred things to do. So I race into my day planning to take time to pray and read God’s Word in a minute. All throughout the day, I sense a nagging urge to spend time with God. Eight or nine hundred minutes later I’m tired and ready for bed. Not only did I not give God second-best – I didn’t give Him anything!

Money. There are so many things I need! I tell myself I’ll give money to the Lord’s work next month, when I can afford it. But the biblical principle is clear: God wants our best in every area. He doesn’t need my money; He wants me to invest it in His work so that He’ll have my heart. “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:21).

Because of Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice, we don’t sacrifice bulls and goats anymore. But God should still come first in every aspect of our lives – time, money, talent, friends, choices. What sacrifices do you need to make today? – Tim Gustafson

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The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God (Psalm 51:17).

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What kind of “sacrifices” do you give to God? Are you stealing from God by giving Him second-best?