Today’s Scripture: Malachi 3:6-12 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Tyler Connoley):
I was in college and had been having a really rough semester. In particular, I felt spiritually dry and desolate. I had stopped going to church regularly, wasn’t reading my Bible, wasn’t hanging out with spiritual people, wasn’t doing anything to feed my spirit. Then, one night, I had a dream.
In my dream, Jesus was standing about twenty feet away from me, and was gesturing for me to come stand by him. I said, “Where have you been? I’ve been so lonely.”
Jesus replied, “I’ve been here all along. Where have you been?”
In this passage, God calls Israel to return to God. And, like me during that semester in college, the people probably think it’s God who has abandoned them, not the other way around. They ask, “How can we return?” They don’t understand that God never changes. God hasn’t moved. They have.
In the context of the times, paying their tithes was one of the simplest things people could do to show their seriousness about getting back in alignment with God. They knew exactly how much the tithes were, and they knew when and where to pay them. God promised them that if they did this one small thing — if they would return to God in this one small area of their lives — then God would pour out blessings on them. They thought God had abandoned them, but if they would simply return, then they would find that God had been there all the time.
Thought for the day: Are you feeling far from God? What can you do to return to God? God hasn’t moved.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.