Worship / Repentance / Obedience / The Cross

Malachi -
Chapter 1 starts out saying that our sacrifices are detestable because we offer blemished and impure sacrifices. God says He would rather shut the doors of the temple than continue to get these second-best or worse offerings.

By the time we get to the section on tithing in Chapter 3, the Lord is asking for true repentance, and saying that to repent we should give our tithe! This is the lead-in to this chapter. Thus, it is not just an action of obedience, but a doorway to a change in our lives. It is a first indication of our commitment to wholly live for the Lord.

The tithe is only the beginning, because as a kingdom of priests we become the tithe, our whole portion is to come from the Lord and our entire lives are dedicated to Him. We are wholly His, and he has become our portion. Having been purchased by His blood, we are not our own. By accepting the cross, Christ lives in us. By laying down our lives, we lay down also our possessions and motivations.

Surely God has a better understanding of our inner working than we do, and thus can create in us a perfect and holy motivation and purpose in life that will far surpass anything we can cook up. It can work in us throughout our day, giving the most mundane moments fulfillment.

Constant surrender to the one who created us and can fulfill us - this is worship.

May God have His every way!