The prophet Malachi brought several charges against Israel in his writing. In chapter one, the main problem was Israel’s irreverence towards God. They despised God in the way and manner they brought His offerings. They would leave out every animal of worth and offer to God those without market value. They brought the blind and the lame for the Lord’s offering. God challenged them to give the same to their governor if that would be acceptable. In chapter three, it was a different charge. They were accused of robbing God by avoiding paying tithes.  For our specific focus today, Israel was accused of treachery. In simple terms, treachery is unfaithful dealings among people. It is pillaging one another. Malachi thought that was outrageous since all of them had their roots in God as Father.

” God cares about how we relate to one another. How we relate with people is a good gauge of our standing with God…Giving people their dues prepares the way for God to give you your dues “

Treacherous dealing is another blockade to the bounties of heaven. John Piper has this to say: “If in the relationships that God has given us, whether marriage, or parenting, or friendship, or neighborliness, or collegiality, if in any of those relationships we begin to act unlovingly, disrespectfully, unmercifully, unkindly, we may expect that God will, in mercy, withhold blessings when we pray.” God cares about how we relate to one another. How we relate with people is a good gauge of our standing with God. The Apostle John argues that if we don’t love human beings that we can see, how can we ever claim to love God who we don’t see? Giving people their dues prepares the way for God to give you your dues. Yesterday, we learned that the chain that held us bound is broken. That was made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Beyond that, we are also empowered to freely love. We are in a season where God demonstrated the greatest love to us. We have a responsibility to let it spread to others as well.