In the final book of the Old Testament, God told the people that they were sending mixed messages. Their faith whispered one thing, but their faithless actions shouted something else. Our actions always send the louder signal.
So God told them that they would lose their blessings. He actually says this: “I will curse your blessings” (Malachi 2:2). Curse is another way of saying Wreck. If we waste our influence, we wreck our lives. We know from the context that the people were sending the wrong message by giving God garbage for sacrifices -- the blind and crippled animals in their flocks. They were giving God the leftovers. And God seems to say, “I can’t bless this mess. You're sending the wrong message about My honor.”
These days, we tend measure blessings as health and wealth and easy livin’. But for God’s people in Malachi’s dat, blessing was the privilege of knowing God, serving, God. To be blessed was to be graciously loved by God and to have the privilege of sharing that grace with others. When our actions do not demonstrate that God really is the highest priority in our lives, we miss out on the privilege of serving God and being used by Him. We miss the blessing of blessing others.
What kind of message does your life send to your kids, your grandkids, your friends at school, or the people you work with? There is always a ripple effect. Our actions always send the louder signal.
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