Return

In what ways have you turned away from God and his commandments? How do you need to return to God?

When God feels far away from us, it is usually the case that we have turned away from God and his commandments.

When we are distant from God, we can regain intimacy with God by returning to him and by obeying his word.

In the Minor Prophet book of Malachi, God spoke to his people saying, “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’” (Malachi 3:7, ESV).

When we are distant from God, “How shall we return?”

In the days of Malachi the people had dishonored God by not giving God his due. God asked them, “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.” (Malachi 3:8, ESV).

God’s people withheld from God the honor due his name. They were robbing God of true worship. The people of God failed in their worship of God and needed to return to him with their first and with their best—with their “first fruits”.

May we give God true worship and honor by giving God the first and the best of everything he has given us.

A Collect for Stewardship of Creation: “O merciful Creator, your loving hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence, and give us grace to honor you with all that you have entrusted to us; that we, remembering the account we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.” (#22., Book of Common Prayer, 2019).

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Photo by Mathieu Stern, from Unsplash. More photography can be found here: https://unsplash.com/photos/1zO4O3Z0UJA