Contempt for God

There are very few who would openly claim contempt for God. Sure there are some, but most claim some belief or spiritual relationship with God. However, our lives often hold God in contempt. How? We're not dissimilar from the people of Israel who rebelled and returned and rebelled and returned and rebelled in their relationship to God. He became a God of convenience.

In Malachi 1:6 (NIV) God says, "... where is the honor due me ... where is the respect due me ... It is you ... who show contempt for my name." In this passage, he was talking to the most religious of the day -- the priests. The priests on behalf of the people were bringing God their leftovers as sacrifices. They were bringing blind, crippled, and diseased animals to God as sacrifices.

From the very beginning of time, God has demanded our best -- the first of what we have to offer. So often, we think of God conveniently. We'll live for him when we're done with our personal goals or tasks. We'll give to him if we have money left over.

Our insatiable appetites never reach a point that there isn't always something else that needs to be done or some thing that we need to have. God calls us "cheats." "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord." (Malachi 1:14)

We continue to push God into the background until it's convenient for us to reach out to him. He receives our leftovers -- whether it's time or financial resources. Don't claim God as Lord and then conveniently move him into the background.

Romans puts this into perspective in 12:1 (NIV) where we read the challenge to "be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable." The best of our lives is what God wants. He is jealous of our worship "for [He] is a great king ... and [His] name is to be feared among the nations." (Malachi 1:14)