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El Pomar District of Paso Robles, California. Photo by Charles F. Stanley.
Daily Devotion

Wholehearted Worship

The Lord calls us to worship Him wholeheartedly every day of the week.

Malachi 1:6-14

The book of Malachi was written a century after Israel had returned from Babylonian captivity and rebuilt both Jerusalem and the temple. Although there’d been a revival under Nehemiah, by this point the nation had again lost its zeal and drifted into rote worship.

Instead of offering unblemished animals as prescribed in the Law, they were bringing God the undesirable animals from their flocks—the sick, blind, and lame. The people and the priests had become so accustomed to going through the motions that they’d stopped noticing anything was wrong. They were still showing up; they just weren’t truly present.

It’s a pattern we should still watch out for today. When life crowds in and calendars fill up, there can be a temptation to cut back on things like prayer, the study of Scripture, and unhurried time with God. Some might think a Sunday service is adequate. But worship isn’t limited to one day out of seven; it’s to be woven through our devotion to Christ all week long (Ps. 119:175).

The good news is that God isn’t keeping score. Instead, He’s inviting us back. The same Lord who called Israel to return is calling us to offer Him more than mere performance—He wants our whole heart. That’s the kind of worship He’s interested in.

Bible in One Year: John 12-13