First Wednesday in Advent

"Where Is My Honor?"

If God’s first accusation in the Book of Malachi is that his people don’t appreciate his love, his second complaint against them is that they are disrespecting him by offering improper worship. The Israelites can’t seem to understand why he is offended, but back when God drew up the Law (recorded in Deuteronomy), he was clear about the sacrifices he wanted his people to bring.

Today we don’t bring goats or rams to offer as gifts to God. But he calls us to give him our best. He is worthy!  How can you give him your best in the following areas?  

·  Worship

·  Time

·  Thinking (including lyrics)

·  Money

·  Relationships

·  Approach to the Lord’s Supper

·  Outreach to the nations

·  Your body

Take some time today to pray about one of the above areas that stood out to you, an area in which you have room to improve in offering God your best.

 Ask the Spirit to help you give your best to a great God, who is worthy of awe. Say “thank you” for the gift of Jesus—that while humanity was lost, the Father withheld nothing, not even his very best, his only Son.  —Sandra Glahn

Prayer:  

I commend to Thee, O Lord, my soul and my body, my mind and my thoughts, my prayers and my vows, my senses and my limbs, my words and my works, my life and my death, my brothers and my sisters and their children; my friends, my benefactors, my well-wishers; those who have a claim on me; my kindred; and my neighbor, my country, and all Christendom. –Lancelot Andrewes, 16th century

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

And his kingdom will have no end.

Photo credit: Ben White on Unsplash; the works of Lancelot Andrewes are in the public domain.