Malachi 1:6-8 (ESV)
⁶ “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ ⁷ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table may be despised. ⁸ When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.

The other day I was at my daughter’s house, and she had a bag full of Frosted Mini Wheat cereal that was in single-serve packages. She and the children did not like them, and knowing that I did, she gave me the bag. The first chance I got, I popped open one of the little containers of cereal, poured in some milk, and started to crunch away. It only took a couple of bites for me to realize the cereal was probable pretty old and there was not much of a crunch to it, and even less taste. I thought to myself, “really,” my daughter gave me old cereal.”  Where is the respect?

This reminds me of the way the Israelites treated God when they returned from captivity. They may have put away the idolatry, but they began to sacrifice animals to Him that were lame. You might remember that one of the first qualifications for an animal to be used in an offering to God was that it be without spot or blemish (Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 1:3). It was very disrespectful for the Jews to violate this law by offering to God animals that were blind and lame. God asked them, “where is my honor?”

Do we ever give God reason to ask us the same question? Do we offer sacrifices to God that are below Him? I think the answer is yes. We have all done that on occasion. Sadly, some brethren make a practice of it.

Do you place more value on your secular job than you do serving God? Do you sometimes work overtime on days when you should be assembling with the saints and worshipping God, not be-cause you have to, but because of your commitment to your earthly occupation? If so, you are not giving God the honor He deserves.

Do you put on your finest attire when attending some special event, but give your dress little thought when you appear before God to worship Him? If so, where is God’s honor?

Are you able to sit at a sporting event for three hours and enjoy every minute of it but become restless when the preacher goes longer than thirty minutes at a worship service? If so, you are demonstrating that you have more love for the things of this world, than you have for God.

We should always put God first in our lives (Matthew 6:33), and we should do so with a great deal of reverence and respect. We should give God the honor He deserves by always giving Him our best. God was dismayed by the way the Israelites treated Him, even after all that He had done for them. Do we make God feel the same way today by not honoring Him properly? If so, let us start doing better right now, giving God the respect He deserves.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.