SHORTCHANGED

Ahead of their entrance into the land of Canaan, God instructed Israel not to make a covenant with the nations in it (the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, or the Jebusite). He told Israel when they went into the land to destroy the altars, break the images, and cut down the groves of these nations. God knew if these things remained, Israel would fall into idolatry. God gave Israel this significant warning, “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14).

Many years passed between the writings found in Exodus and those in the book of Malachi, and lest they be forgotten, in Malachi 3:6a, God reminded Israel with these words, “For I am the Lord, I change not.” Simply put, what he said from the beginning remains the same; unlike man, he does not waver.

Jesus, who was born approximately 400 years after the writing of Malachi, spoke these words in Matthew 22:37-38 to the multitude and Pharisees, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”

From the beginning of time until now, God’s desire for our total allegiance is evident. Through the ages, He’s continually reiterating this message. He does not want to be shortchanged. He does not want to be treated as a part-time lover. He does not want the minimum of our devotion; he wants the maximum.      

When we esteem people or things above our devotion to God and when our worship and service to Him are shabby, if we do not correct our actions, we will suffer consequences. Jesus said in Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Doing things that please our carnal nature, which is unprofitable, often takes precedence over godly choices, and unfortunately, this is because we live for present gratification.

Our life on this earth is short-lived; it has a time frame, whereas our life in eternity has a beginning but no ending. With this in mind, I recommend that you don’t shortchange God; give him your all, for it will yield an eternal reward that you will not regret.