"I am a great king"

I have two nephews that I babysit and I love them dearly. They are ages 3 and almost 1. Their smiley faces and the adorable things they say give my life great joy. They are always on their best behavior for me yet when mom walks in the door they start acting up and end up crying or demanding something right away. It seems that most kids do this and I can only think that maybe they feel secure enough to let it all hang out. They know mom will be there during the late night hours when their tummy hurts or when their just plain miserable and want to whine and cry all day long. They know mom will still love em when they get into trouble and misbehave. I think that sometimes we do this with God. We know that He will forgive us no matter what, but I think sometimes we take advantage. I was reading the passage out of Malachi and God was displeased because his appointed priests where offering him sacrifices that were polluted, blind, lame, sick or blemished. He says; "A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts To you priests who despise My name..." Malachi 1:6, NKJV He is our dad isn't He? But He is also our Great King. I noticed that in the Old Testament God was concerned about His reputation because he wanted the world to know about Him and what kind of God he is. Today he still wants the world to know what a great king he is. When we do what God has called us to do halfheartedly- people notice. Its a sign of the condition of our hearts and minds. These are some of the word meanings I found for honor; glory, honour, glorious, abundance, riches, splendour, dignity, reputation, and reverence. God has big expectations for his children because we are supposed to represent Him. How is the world noticing  "honor" of our Great King through us? Another question would be; When the world looks at us and the life that we are living, the way that we are living it.. what do they see the most? Are we like those priests who give remnants of our time, discarded remains or our money, or unwanted stuff? Or do we give our most priceless valuable gifts? Abel gave the acceptable gift because he knew that the sacrifice required blood and he gave the best of what he had available- Cain approached God with fruits and vegetables, (what he wanted to give)this was not sufficient. When we have some understanding of our Great King we will be able to offer Him only our very best and not just what we are willing to give but what He wants. So- like God told Cain; If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”Genesis 4:7 So lets put the baggage behind us and leave it in 2010 and lets live lives that give glory, honor and praise to Him!