“Return to me, and I will return to you.” – Malachi 3:7

This topic of returning has been pressing on my heart for a while. As I tried to plan out my content for this month’s blogs and future projects, there has been a heavy message weighing on my every decision.

In the midst of trying to bring hope to those God placed around me, I realize I may have gotten lost in the mission rather than the One who sent me.

I came to this thought as I was desperately praying for God’s direction in a completely different area of my life yet was reminded of the “work” I do for Him through this blog and other media content. I am not going to lie. I was a bit frustrated. I simply wanted an answer to my current problem, not growing anxiety over the one thing in my life that in all honesty, I felt pretty confident in.

But that is just it. In this one concern I prioritized, I was living out 1 Thessalonians 5:17 as much as I could, but regarding my “work” for Him, the prayers were far and few between as I got used to developing the content I needed whenever I was scheduled to post something. I no longer saturated this area of my life in prayer like I used to. And before I could be shown an answer to the part of my life that I was so focused on, God reminded me that His priorities come first.

These blogs were not meant to become “work”. They were meant to unify, encourage vulnerability, challenge, and express compassion to those who read it. Yet I strayed into the perspective of “I can write a post really quick, so I will do just that.” My first fruits no longer went to God and what He called me to, but rather, to my own greatest concerns.

In Malachi 3, God speaks of His open arms to the Israelite’s as well as their rejection. He brings up the way in which the people of Israel chose to give their tithes and offerings to their own priorities rather than to Him. And because of this, they strayed from the One they used to so passionately serve “in former years” (3:4). Yet He did not give up on them. Instead, He reminded them of His consistent love and forgiving heart (3:6). And because He remains the same, so do His promises to those who choose to live for Him.

In verse 8, He straight up states the way in which the people of Israel have strayed. Their first fruits were misplaced. Yet He follows it with a path to redemption and a promise of abundant blessings in verse 10. Isn’t it so beautiful to witness the overflowing heart of forgiveness our God has? Not only does He forgive our rebellious pasts, but He gives us a hope for a future we cannot imagine through the glorious plans He has in store (Jeremiah 29:11).

My dear friend, I believe this is exactly what we miss in the rush of life. Between the expectation’s the world lays on us, the goals we set for ourselves, and the responsibilities we have no choice but to carry, we lose sight of where our first fruits must be. And to the busy soul, “that is just life”. But that mindset could not be more detrimental to our faith.

There is a hope unimaginable and a peace incomparable that God provides to those who come back to the heart of what He designed them for. I think it is easy to take something He has blessed us with and build our own vision for it’s future, but may we be challenged to remind ourselves of our authority as stewards.

In verse 7, God says “Return to Me, and I will return to you.” This is a requests followed by an undeserved blessing. But do not mistake God’s “return” as if He left. That which He is returning to you in this promise is the blessing of experiencing Him as a cleansed heart. No longer do we have to be bound by the weight of what we see as important or the goals we hope to achieve, because ultimately, what we have is not meant to be lead by our own vision. Because of our mortal minds, our vision for our lives and the work we do is limited by our human perspective. When God says return to Him, it is not because He just wants control, but because He knows that when we follow the purpose of our design, we flourish the most.

So fellow Christian, may you remind yourself that being a Christian is being a follower of a Christ. And being a follower of Christ is being a steward of the blessings He gives, not the one in control. May you be reminded to come back to the heart of what He called you to be and do. And may no fear, anxiety, pride, or judgement stop you from doing so.

This blog was built on prayer and surrender to the vision of God. So as we move throughout the weeks and more posts are published, I am excited to see where God leads as I restore Him back to Lord of this blog, my vision, and every breathe from now on. I lay down the desire to be trendy for the mission of being transformational again. My dear friend, I hope and pray you continue to follow me on this journey of pursuing Christ together. It may be hard, but it is beyond necessary.