Smack me upside the head!

Been reading Malachi a bit lately...and it's messing me up a bit!

Reading chapter 1, I was stricken by the fact that in some ways, I may be like the Priests at that time, whom God confronted for "showing contempt for (His) name" (v. 6).

How? By bringing 'defiled' offerings to Him.

In that day, they were to make animal sacrifices...spotless, unblemished, perfect lambs, goats, etc.

It was a foreshadowing--a "type" of Jesus Christ--who would be the perfect "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29-36).

...but before Jesus came, it was still the Priests who had the responsibility and the priviledge of making those offerings to the Lord.

...and they had apparently begun to treat that with contempt, in that they had started offering blemished, lame and imperfect lambs. It had become common for them to say 'good enough' in this. Giving God their 'garbage' in a sense, and hoping He was happy with it. God says "When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled 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." (v 8).

In other words, they had started to show disrespect to God by offering Him their leftovers, their garbage--stuff they wouldn't think of offering to an important human being! (Yet He is "the Lord Almighty"!)

Today (thankfully) we don't offer animal sacrifices...and we (thankfully) no longer have to fulfill the duties of The Law (because Jesus fulfilled them all on our behalf)...but this smacks me upside the head because it makes me look at how I treat God...do I give him my 'leftovers', and my 'garbage', or do I give him my best? Do I say "God doesn't care", or "He'll forgive me later", or do I really prioritize pleasing, worshipping and honoring HIM--THE LORD ALMIGHTY above all others?

Ouch!

Some call it "2x4 therapy"...and it's a smack upside my head!

What about yours?