Malachi 1:6 (NIV)
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father,
where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says
the LORD Almighty.
Malachi was written approximately
in the 400s B.C. and it is a book of prophecy and warning. The main message was
to check Judah’s actions and make sure God had priority in all that was done.
Ahhh, there it is—making sure God has priority!
Why is it that so
often we feel it is okay to give God our leftovers? This is not just a matter
of the giving of our financial leftovers. It is also a matter of the giving of
our leftover time, effort, and energy. Our devotional life seems to be oriented
around anything else needing to be done that day and if we run out of time as
we often do, we just convince ourselves that we’ll catch up another day. It may
take time and effort to build a consistent devotional time with our Heavenly
Father, but isn’t that what he deserves from us? And folks, it isn’t so much
the exact time each day, but that you TAKE time—MAKE time—each day to build a consistent routine. Personally,
I find splitting my time works well and helps me stay consistent. My favorite time to focus on Bible study
is in the mornings with a cup of coffee. Then I can process my thoughts during
the day. I enjoy writing devotions in the early evenings so that I can post
early the next morning. And although prayer is sprinkled throughout my entire day, I find my concentration for a focused, more in-depth prayer time is best in the
still quietness of the late evenings just before bedtime. The point is, we
honor and show respect for God by making time each day to spend with him in
study, thought, and prayer. He deserves our best, not our leftovers.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Forgive us for giving
you our leftovers. Create in us the resolve to seek you first in all that we
do, and to give you priority in all that is done each day.
In Christ’s name we
pray, Amen.
Respectfully written and submitted by
Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking for the blessed hope of
Christ’s return!
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