“I wouldn’t feed this to a dog!” If someone says that about your cooking, it’s certainly not a compliment. As a dog owner, I can testify that they eat some pretty nasty stuff. And yet still there is a certain quality of food I will offer them. Regardless, I still reserve the best food for myself. With God, the same logic applies.
We see this in the book of Malachi, where the titular prophet speaks to the priests on God's behalf. The law of Moses commanded that the best of the best be sacrificed to God (e.g. Exodus 12:5). Blemish was not acceptable. Yet somehow, the priests of Malachi’s day thought it was clever to offer the worst of the worst instead. The blind. The lame. Livestock they were basically going to lose anyway. These animals were not sacrifices!
So God said through Malachi “offer it to the governor”. Evidently, the governors would not accept such shoddy sacrifices either. What could they do with a blind or lame animal? “I wouldn’t feed this to a dog” becomes “I wouldn’t offer this to a governor”. If something is so horrible that a dog would reject it, you shouldn’t eat it either. If an animal is so unhealthy that a governor wouldn’t accept it, how could you possibly expect God to accept it?
Though we no longer live under a sacrificial system, this principle is still applicable today. God is still God, and we are supposed to be living sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1). If that is the case, we should seek to please Him. So how do we apply the dog/governor logic to our lives today?
Children, think of your parents. Would they be pleased if you obey them most of the time, but disobey them in one specific way? Of course not. So drop your pet sin.
Workers, think of your bosses. Would they be pleased if you do half a job for full pay? Not likely. So don't cut corners when it comes to faith.
Students, think of your teachers. Would they be pleased if you aim to pass, and don't put in a hint of effort beyond what is necessary for that? From experience, I can tell you that's generally frowned on. So study your Bible diligently.
Everyone, think of your friends and family. Would they be pleased if they rarely hear from you? That's how friendships die. So pray without ceasing.
Every relationship you have in which you are either of lower or equal status teaches you how you should respond to God. A parent seeks obedience, and thus we must obey God. An employer seeks productivity, and thus we must do Godly works. A teacher seeks progress, and thus we must study God’s word. A friend seeks contact, and thus we must pray. If you would not behave a certain way towards your earthly relationships, how can you behave differently towards God?