“My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure

offerings will be presented in my name in every place because my name will be great among the

nations,“ says the Lord of Armies. (Malachi 1:11)

This week we’ve looked at a very challenging section of the Old Testament - a section of text where God

makes it very clear that He is unhappy with the quality of worship among His people. He is sick of all the

leftovers! The sub-par sacrifices are a reflection of the condition of Israel’s heart for God as their Father

and Lord. To make matters even more concerning is the fact that this is the last thing that God says to

His people for over 400 years. Literally, this is the last book of the Old Testament! Imagine being among

the people of Israel and hearing the prophetic voice of God say to your spiritual leaders, “Close the

doors of the church!” -- followed by four centuries of silence. Crickets! Nothing more!

As frightening as that may be, the prophet Malachi ends this section of the text with a promise from

God. The Lord promises that His name will be great throughout the world: “My name will be great

among the nations…” The phrase “from the rising of the sun to its setting” which follows, is a common

biblical phrase that alludes to future events. This prophetic promise is a foreshadowing of the ministry

of Jesus and the expansion of the Gospel throughout the world which we have witnessed for the past

2000 years. But here is the real question: is the name of God “great” in your home, in your heart and

throughout your life?



From your rising of the sun to its setting each day in your normal, everyday life, is God honored as your

Father and respected as your Lord? Do you give Him the first fruits of your day each morning, do you

spend time in His Word and in prayer before heading out for the day? Is your affection warm and your

worship pure, or are you simply going through the motions and giving God whatever is left over from

your busy work week? Your heavenly Father loves you so much that He gave you His very best. He gave

you His pure and perfect lamb who was sacrificed on the cross to cover all past, present, and future sins.

When we invite Jesus into our lives, His Spirit begins to transform our hearts; enabling us to wake up

each new day and give God our very best. No more leftovers!

By Jimmy Carter

Jimmy serves as the Ministries Pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church. He is married to Carrie, his treasured

wife of 24 years, and they have one beloved daughter named Christy Ann “C.A.” who is a Senior at LCA

and will attend UK and play golf for the Wildcats next Fall.