Am I giving my best?
Malachi 1:6-8″A son honors his father, and a servant his master.If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty…
“When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.
I have always tried to understand why God gives us stories of old from the Bible and does it apply to my life today? What is He trying to teach me? How does an ancient message fit into my modern world?
This morning, as I read Malachi 1, God gently challenged my heart: Am I truly giving Him my best? The Israelites in Malachi’s time had fallen into a dangerous habit—offering God sacrifices that were sick, lame, or left over. They wouldn’t dare give such gifts to their leaders, yet they gave them to God without a second thought.
It made me think—how often do I approach God with half-hearted devotion? Do I give Him my first and best, or just what’s convenient? I feel many times I give him my leftover time, energy, and passion. See God is not asking for perfection from me, but He is asking for sincerity and honor. Just as I wouldn’t show up to an important meeting unprepared, I shouldn’t come before God with a careless heart.
Yet in the midst of His correction, God reminds us of something powerful—His love never changes. Before addressing Israel’s failures, He first tells them, “I have loved you” (Malachi 1:2). His love isn’t based on my performance; it’s a constant, unshakable truth. That love calls me higher—not out of obligation, but out of thankfulness and gratitude.
Today, as I examine my heart. I am want to give God my best in worship, in prayer, in my daily life? Not to earn His love, but because He deserves it. I don’t want to offer Him leftovers—I want to give Him my first and my best.
My prayer to God today: Father, forgive me for the times I have given You less than my best. I don’t want to worship You out of routine or convenience, but out of love and reverence. Help me to honor You in all that I do and to put You first in my life. Thank You