Truth #334 God is due and demands our best. Malachi

Malachi 1:6-8 (ESV Strong's)
“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?’
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.
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.

Truth:   God is due and demands our best.

In this life it is very easy to get by without giving our best.  Most organizations that employ workers have those within their employment that barely get by.  There are great organizations that don't allow that mentality, but most have a percentage that tolerate an 70-80% effort.   Most students in school are happy to get a "C" or a low "B" grade.   The contribution we give to God, however, is not in this category.   God is a God who demands and is due our best.  We ought not give him a small percentage of our time or talent or treasure.   Since He is the who gives us time, talent and treasure, we should expect that He demands our best in return.  In the above passage the nation of Israel had come back from captivity and fallen back into the same old issues: Giving God less than He was due.   Instead, God calls them out on this in the prophet Malachi's prophetic message.   The prophet, speaking for God, asks them if the offering they are bringing to God would be acceptable to the local governor?   We can get all dressed up and be all in if a dignitary comes to visit.   Yet, we are a cool church when we allow people to wear jeans and flip flops.    There is no spirituality in dressing up for church in wing-tips vs. sandals, yet, it does say something about our awe and reverence for a man vs. God.   God wants the devotion of our hearts not our wardrobe, however, as the above passage indicates, what we bring to God in these outward manifestations says something about hour inward hearts.   God deserves and demands the best we can give.  That begins in the hearts and flows through what we offer.