THE KIND OF WORSHIP GOD DEMANDS

I thought I had blogged about this is a while back, but couldn't find the post... But recently, I've been reminded of a challenge that appears in the opening chapter of Malachi.

These are some of the toughest words in Scripture. Words that we desperately need to remember and recover...

Malachi 1:6-14 (MSG), "Isn't it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I'm your Father, where's the honor? If I'm your Master, where's the respect?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: "You priests despise me!
"You say, 'Not so! How do we despise you?'
"By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship.
"You ask, 'What do you mean, "defiling"? What's defiling about it?'
7-8 "When you say, 'The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,' that's defiling. And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you're trying to get rid of—blind and sick and crippled animals—isn't that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator—how far do you think it will get you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.
9 "Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I'll pay attention to you?" God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.
10 "Why doesn't one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don't want any more of this so-called worship!
11 "I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They're saying it everywhere: 'God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.'
12-13 "All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, 'Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,' and when you say, 'I'm bored—this doesn't do anything for me.' You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it's a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I'm going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!
14 "A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I'm a great king, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I'll not put up with it!"

When we fail to offer God less than our BEST, we DISHONOR the God who gave His best for us.

What about it?

Do you offer God sloppy, shoddy worship? Or do you offer God your very best?

Anything less than our BEST isn't WORSHIP, it's HOT AIR. To put it bluntly, it's CRAP. It STINKS before a Holy God.

If we really believe this, it changes everything... EVERYTHING!

It changes the way we WORK... We'll work "with all of our heart, knowing that we're working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23). Even the way you do your JOB is a form of WORSHIP.

It changes the way we LIVE... We understand that worship isn't something reserved for 11 am every Sunday. It's LIFE. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. You get the picture... Worship involves the other 167 hours in our week. We begin LIVING OUT the truth of Romans 12:1.

Romans 12:1 (MSG), So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.

Is that the way you live? Your very LIFE an OFFERING to God?

It changes the way we MINISTER. After 20+ years of "doing church" I've seen scores of people make excuses for sloppy, shoddy ministry... "Oh, it's only church..." "There were only four kids in the class..."

Please don't misunderstand. I'm not implying that we should strive for PERFECTION. PERFECTIONISM is a dead end street that strangles the life out of creativity. I am saying that we ought to offer God our BEST by praying hard, preparing well and trusting Him with the outcome.

It changes the way we do CHURCH. Most of us get a lot more excited about who wins the game on Saturday, than all that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross 2,000 years ago. I'm amazed at the lackadaisical way tons of believers approach worship. I think Annie Dillard nails it when she writes:

“Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so casually invoke… It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church… We should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews.” ~ Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters

She's right! This is GOD we're approaching... Can you really stand before HOLY GOD sipping on a cup of coffee, casually and nonchalantly singing the words, "Uh, how great thou art?" I hope not!

I'm convicted... Convicted of a half-lived life, half-hearted ministry, and passionless worship... It doesn't get it with God and it shouldn't get it with me...

Lord, here I am... Broken... Used up... Damaged goods that I am... Whatever I have I bring it to you and pray that you would use my life, ministry, occupation and worship to honor You for who You are - GREAT, GLORIOUS, AWESOME, MIGHTY, GOD OF ANGEL ARMIES, ABOVE and OVER ALL. You deserve my BEST... Such as I have, I give it to YOU...

AMEN.