Lock the doors!

The church is full of hypocrites.

Usually, that's a statement made by some disgruntled former church-goer. Usually, it's because someone in the church made them upset. Or they weren't getting the attention they wanted. Or some other selfish reason.

But God actually said the same thing about the temple.

"Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain!" (Malachi 1:10).

The priests were allowing the people to bring sacrifices that were lame, blind and blemished. The priests knew better. The people knew better. But they were taking the easy way out.

"It's all going to be burned up anyway, so what difference does it make?" they might have reasoned.

What difference does it make?

It was a sign of disrespect to God. God had commanded that the animals brought for sacrifice were to be without defect. No blind sheep. No lambs with broken legs. No deformed rams. Perfect. Spotless. Without blemish.

To bring anything else was disobedience and that is a sign of disrespect.

So today when you go to church, what does your sacrifice look like?

Are you wearing the right clothes? Singing the right music? Listening attentively? Putting money in the offering plate?

But what does God say about it? Is He asking you to be bold enough to just stay at home, because your worship is disrespectful?

God doesn't want the outward appearances. He wants your heart. And He doesn't want it just on Sunday mornings. He wants it every day.

So don't stay home. By God's grace and with God's help, clean up your worship.