December 11

In Malachi 1, God confronts His people with a sobering truth: they were offering Him less than their best. Instead of bringing pure sacrifices, they offered blind, lame, and sick animals—gifts they would never dare present to a human ruler. God asks, Where is the honor due me? It’s not simply about offerings; it’s about the heart behind them. The people’s worship had grown casual, careless, and half-hearted. Yet even in His rebuke, God reminds them, I have loved you. His desire is not to condemn but to lead His people back to reverence, sincerity, and wholehearted devotion.

Psalm 2 shifts our perspective to the greatness of God’s reign. The nations may rebel, and rulers may scheme, but God laughs—not out of mockery, but because their efforts cannot stand against His sovereign rule. He has installed His King on Zion—Jesus, the Anointed One. The psalm ends with an invitation: Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. God’s greatness, authority, and love call us into worship marked not by casual offering but deep reverence and joyful trust.

Revelation 9 presents a stark image of the consequences of rejecting God. As the fifth and sixth trumpets sound, judgment falls on those who persist in rebellion. Despite the terror, Scripture notes that people still did not repent. It’s a sobering reminder of how hardened the human heart can become—and how essential sincere repentance is. While God is patient and merciful, He is also holy and just.

Together, these passages urge us to give God our best—not out of fear, but in response to His love and holiness. Casual worship cannot stand before a holy King. When we remember who He is—Creator, Ruler, Redeemer—it stirs in us a desire to honor Him with our whole hearts, offering Him not the leftovers of our lives but the first and finest.

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