READING: Malachi 3
Malachi delivers this oracle as a dialogue between God and His people in which the Lord seeks to penetrate the barriers that the priests and people have erected between themselves and their God. The religious and moral corruption of the people reveal a condition of spiritual lethargy marked by an attitude that it does not pay to serve the Lord. They have convinced themselves that, in spite of their religious observances, God has not alleviated their difficult circumstances. But the Lord tells them that their lack of blessing is not due to divine indifference but to their hypocrisy, lack of sincerity, and disobedience to His moral law. When they repent and return to God, He will return to them (3:7) and bless their labors.
Prayer
Lord, I know that my religious observances become stale and meaningless when they are not accompanied by a wholehearted desire to honor and trust You.
Meditation passage: verses 1–3, 6–7
