Keeping Our Eyes on God: A Call Back to Reverence - September 23, 2025

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 Malachi 2:1-4, 7-9 (NLT)

“Listen, you priests—this command is for you! Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart. I will punish your descendants, splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and throw you on the pile. Then at last you will know I sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

“The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed me but have shown favoritism in the way you carry out my instructions.”

When I read this passage, God’s words felt sharp, direct, and shocking. God isn’t addressing “the wicked” or the nations surrounding Israel—He is speaking to His priests, the ones who were supposed to lead His people in holiness. These people were responsible for teaching God’s Word, living in reverence, and keeping His covenant alive for the nation. And yet, they had turned aside.

This sobering message reminds us as believers today: God cares deeply about where our hearts and eyes are inclined. Even though we live under the new covenant through Jesus, we are still called to live lives of reverence and obedience.

I’ve observed that many of us lack the fear of the Lord. We’ve watered down our understanding of who God is, perhaps without even realizing it. In many churches, we’ve become more focused on keeping people comfortable than calling them to holiness. We don’t want to offend. But the truth is, God’s Word is offensive to the flesh; it confronts sin, calls for repentance, and points to a higher way of living.

When we remove the “hard” parts of Scripture, we rob it of its power to transform us. God desires a holy awe from His people, not because He wants us to live in terror, but because reverence positions us to receive His life and peace.

The priests of Malachi’s day failed to keep their eyes on God, leading others astray. The same warning applies to us. If we claim the name of Christ but do not live with hearts surrendered to Him, we can easily cause others to stumble.

You might think, but we live in the New Testament era, so does this still apply?  Yes and no. Jesus’ sacrifice covers every sin, past, present, and future. But His covering is not a license to live however we want. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) calls every believer to pass on God’s truth. If we distort or ignore that truth, we are walking the same path as these priests who corrupted the covenant.

God’s anger in this passage is not the end of the story. His call is always toward repentance and restoration. When we realize that we’ve strayed, whether in our attitudes, words, or actions, He invites us to turn back to Him.

Repentance is not simply feeling bad; it is a change of direction. It is a realignment of our hearts and minds so that our eyes are again fixed on the Lord. This is how we keep our relationship with Him alive and active.

Ephesians 2:8–10 reminds us that we are saved by grace through faith—not by works. But true faith always results in action. When we surrender to the Holy Spirit, He leads us to live in a way that reflects God’s heart.

Attending church, praying before meals, or posting a Bible verse online are all good things, but they aren’t the essence of a relationship with God. He wants our full devotion. He wants us to know Him, not just know about Him. Jesus says it plainly in John 15:4: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if severed from the vine.”

When our eyes are on Him, our lives will bear fruit—love, peace, patience, faithfulness, righteousness—and that fruit will draw others to Christ.

Daily Challenge

Today, I invite you to inventory where your eyes are inclined. Are they fixed on God, or are they distracted by the noise of the world?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please search my heart and help me know you are moving. Please renew my fear and reverence for you so I can walk the path that leads to life instead of shame. Lord, please help me in your Word daily and wrestle with it. Please speak to me, Lord, and help me keep my eyes fixed on you and your work in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/People Images

Vanessa Luu is a wife, mother, and faith-based writer. She speaks and writes to believers to encourage them to live authentically with God.

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