Who was Joel trying to honor in his adventures today?

What was Malachi’s message to the Israelites?

How can we give God the honor He deserves?

We know that God’s people had been disobedient and sent out of Jerusalem, their homeland.  Later, God guided them back, but they needed extra encouragement to rebuild the temple and the city. You would think that experience would be enough to make them always appreciate God. However, people are sinful. Those who returned still struggled to do what was right even after many years and so many second chances. The people needed to be reminded of God’s patience and love. They had turned away from Him again, and did not even seem to recognize their sin. Read Malachi 1:10-11. The people were not sincere in their worship, which was offensive to God. He deserves genuine worship. He wants people to honor Him with their attitudes as well as their actions. Discuss with your child why they think God was not happy with the offerings. Talk about how their sin was more than the behavior, it was their lack of reverence and respect for God. Invite the kids to share examples of things they do in an ordinary week. Use their examples to discuss how those activities could be used as opportunities to honor God. Explain that living for God may look different in every person’s life, because He has given us different skills, abilities, and opportunities. However, there are things that should always remain consistent. Primarily, we should worship God with respect and honor.

Use the bible story picture to engage your child as you tell them the story from Malachi