Malachi: Return to God

Malachi 3.7-12: God is truly about our best and the best for us is knowing God and enjoying Him. That is God’s heart behind His call for the Israelites in Malachi’s day to return to Him. He wanted to have the father and son relationship with them that He had chosen for them because this was truly the best for them, yet Israel turned aside from the Lord’s commands and therefore had turned from God. So, God as we see over and over with Israel is calling them back to Himself after their continual disobedience. He says, Return to Me, and I will return to you. He wanted repentance, renewal and restoration for the Israelites. So, Israel asks, how shall we return?. So, God picks a way that they had deviated from His way and needed to return. It was visible and undeniable. They were failing to bring the tithes and offerings that the Lord had commanded from them. As a result, ministry is suffering and they are suffering. If Israel will return to God and fulfill the Law by bringing the tithes and offerings then God will bless them instead of curse them. So, God wants us to return to Him as well. He desires repentance and obedience from us. This includes how we handle our finances and the area of giving, for how we handle such expresses who and what we worship. God doesn’t want you to fall into the trap of the world’s defeating and destroying way of handling money, but instead He wants you to enjoy His way. That is the heart and desire of today’s message in Malachi.