Categories: uncategorized
Date: 29 March 2005 12:07:11
I was reading Malachi this morning - in between finishing my column and waiting for the plumber to come and FINALLY finish the bathroom.
It's not a book i've read a lot, and i read all of Malachi 1, which is basically a big rant from God about how people were offering animal sacrifices to Him that were of poor quality, and wouldn't have been fit for their Governors.
And I thought about the tiny bit of time I was giving Him, in between finishing my work and my home. It wasn't time that would be good enough for my earthly boss, or even for my husband. It was also being heavily distracted by the cat digging its claws in.
I was embarassed to realise that I was doing exactly that - offering God something second best when I should be giving Him everything.
The first time I read the passage, I looked at it as a typical portrayl of an "Old Testament" rant from a God who just wanted everything from his people. One of those "I am a jealous God" things. Then, I tried to read it again through the eyes of the loving Father God that we meet at the beginning of the passage "How have I loved you?". And I finally realised that God wants the best from us because it's only through that that he can give the best to us - the anger expressed in Malachi is a bitter frustration with a people who think they can deceive God but are only deceiving themselves.
So at the end of the time I spent this morning, i felt loved, rather than just yelled at. Maybe I'm beginning to understand the God of the Old Testament a little better. And maybe I'll try and give Him some of my best time tomorrow morning.