The Holy One calls to me this morning. Processing takes time and this post began on the National Day of Prayer. He has a "catch" phrase for me to act so when He tells me to "run like the wind with the Truth", I gather up what I have been processing and take it to the place of sharing what He has spoken to me. Today I heard that directive.
As I prepared to join with others in interceding for our land, I heard Him speak a caution that was actually an encouragement to my heart " Do not be like those in Malachi's day who said it is futile to serve Me".
I realize it is a temptation with all the evil we see that is escalating around the world, to become discouraged and even question where the Lord is in all of this? Malachi is the last prophetic voice to speak for the Lord from out of the Old Testament, before the first coming of Christ the Messiah. In these times before His second coming, the conditions on earth are eerily similar among His people.
Back then God's people were discouraged having been made to wait for the glorious establishment of God's promised kingdom on earth. The discouragement led God's people to doubt His covenant love and consequently lose their hope. They acted out their hopelessness like so many of us do, by going on "auto-pilot" in the demonstrations of their faith. As their doubts gave way to questions, their hearts drifted into rebellion, and they began to charge God with injustice.
The people were persistent in their faithless rebellion, so God through the Prophet Malachi brought forth His indictment. It seems as though the people (God's chosen people) were finding more ways to get around the Law of God than faithfully living in obedience to it. They never quite made the correlation between their disobedience and what unfolded as the consequences of their rebellion. They chose to blame God for their circumstances and complain of their lot rather than repent for their accountability in the rebellion that brought the "judgment" they were experiencing.
To be clear, God does judge His people. But the ultimate purpose in the indictment and subsequent penalty in God's judgment is to bring about a change of heart and actions that represented defiance of the authority of the One True God over His people. As I follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and re-read the charges God had against His people in the day of Malachi, I find some of those charges could be accurately levelled against me today as well.
Some might say, "But for the believers in Jesus, there is no guilt nor condemnation". While that is true the behaviors, we commit are a grief to the Lord and require repentance for the relationship to grow in trust and intimacy. In a human relationship when offenses are committed, we cannot just say "well I am entitled to grace and forgiveness" and walk away without dealing with what grief those offenses caused.
The indictment starts with the issue of blemished sacrifices. We do not offer sacrifices on an altar to atone for our sin since the blood of Jesus and His death paid the price we could not muster. But there is still the issues of the sacrifice of our self-life. Could it be that giving the Lord the "left-overs" of our time, energy, and gifting are like unto the blemished sacrifices offered in the days of Malachi? The Lord deserves our best and He notices when we do not give it.
The priests were mentioned next and warned about violating their sacred trust and covenant calling as messengers of God. His charge to them was that they turned away from true instruction and by their foul teaching caused many to stumble. They were indicted for not following God's ways but were bending the law to show partiality in matters of the law. Judgment within the Body of Christ gives one person a pass in mercy for what another person must pay to the last farthing for in having committed the same offense. We look at motives for one and actions for another which speaks of partiality in judgment.
Then comes the indictment over the people. They intermarried women of the surrounding pagan nations in violation of the Lord's command against such inter marriage. These marriages opened the door to the idolatry and worship of foreign gods that would corrupt the nation and break their covenant loyalty to the One True God.
The same can be said of us in the current day Body of Christ. Against the command to not be unequally yoked, we choose to marry non-believers who have no relationship with our Jesus. The resulting consequences are progressive and while we may or may not manage such a relationship well, we open the door to heartache trying to live in two different worlds.
In Malachi, the issue of divorce and breaking the marriage covenant is provoking to the Lord who said, "I hate divorce". In today's society, divorce statistics are shockingly high and said to be much the same within the Church as among those in the world around us.
His warning is as vital to us today as to those who lived in the days of Malachi, "So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth", for the Lord is seeking godly offspring: children raised in the admonition of the Lord.
The indictment continues and speaks of His desire and will for men who will bring offerings in righteousness. The Lord did not mince words when He said that His judgment will and must begin with His own people. We are the ones who represent Him and our increasing apathy for Holiness in the lives we live in the world of today has netted us the consequences just like it did for the nation of Israel under the indictment spoken by Malachi.
Judgment was coming against "sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress widows, and the fatherless and deprive aliens of justice" but do not fear the Lord.
The word of the Lord reminded them then and us now, "I, the Lord do not change" so we who are His people are not nor will we ever be destroyed, but our life of rebellion must stop. "Return to Me and I will return to you", says the Lord Almighty". Malachi 3:7
Then He lays out the road by which the nation can return. In today's terms:
Stop robbing God because it is through the resources that He has given to us that the Gospel is spread around the world.
Stop saying things the Lord deems as harsh against Him. "You have said it is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly, evil doers prosper and even those who challenge God escape."
I have a great appreciation for the Old Testament. I actually appreciate such clear warnings and I have found that for every spoken penalty for rebellion, there comes an encouraging promise in repentance and a blessing for obedience. Vs 16, "Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other and the Lord listened and heard. " How gracious and merciful is our Creator God and Lord. "A scroll of remembrance was written in His Presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His Name."
God has promised that He will show us to be His possession and we "will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked between those who serve God and those who do not".
Waiting is the hard part, and it is in the waiting that discouragement hits and we are tempted to give up and give in. The Lord's counsel today is my caution against that temptation. I choose to take it to heart and let the waiting have its perfect result: A detection of weakness that needs to be strengthened in my faith walk with the Lord.
The National Day of Prayer needs to start with confession and repentance of the corporate sin since all of us may be accountable for having betrayed our Lord's directives. While we understand that we have escaped the ultimate judgment of Holiness, the age of Grace is not an excuse to let depravity rule our lives.
Repentance is still required in our love relationship with the Holy One. Today I realize the encouragement in repentance. I need to ask His forgiveness for the doubts that may not make it past my lips but yet still represent what causes Him grief within my heart.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
As I prepared to join with others in interceding for our land, I heard Him speak a caution that was actually an encouragement to my heart " Do not be like those in Malachi's day who said it is futile to serve Me".
I realize it is a temptation with all the evil we see that is escalating around the world, to become discouraged and even question where the Lord is in all of this? Malachi is the last prophetic voice to speak for the Lord from out of the Old Testament, before the first coming of Christ the Messiah. In these times before His second coming, the conditions on earth are eerily similar among His people.
Back then God's people were discouraged having been made to wait for the glorious establishment of God's promised kingdom on earth. The discouragement led God's people to doubt His covenant love and consequently lose their hope. They acted out their hopelessness like so many of us do, by going on "auto-pilot" in the demonstrations of their faith. As their doubts gave way to questions, their hearts drifted into rebellion, and they began to charge God with injustice.
The people were persistent in their faithless rebellion, so God through the Prophet Malachi brought forth His indictment. It seems as though the people (God's chosen people) were finding more ways to get around the Law of God than faithfully living in obedience to it. They never quite made the correlation between their disobedience and what unfolded as the consequences of their rebellion. They chose to blame God for their circumstances and complain of their lot rather than repent for their accountability in the rebellion that brought the "judgment" they were experiencing.
To be clear, God does judge His people. But the ultimate purpose in the indictment and subsequent penalty in God's judgment is to bring about a change of heart and actions that represented defiance of the authority of the One True God over His people. As I follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and re-read the charges God had against His people in the day of Malachi, I find some of those charges could be accurately levelled against me today as well.
Some might say, "But for the believers in Jesus, there is no guilt nor condemnation". While that is true the behaviors, we commit are a grief to the Lord and require repentance for the relationship to grow in trust and intimacy. In a human relationship when offenses are committed, we cannot just say "well I am entitled to grace and forgiveness" and walk away without dealing with what grief those offenses caused.
The indictment starts with the issue of blemished sacrifices. We do not offer sacrifices on an altar to atone for our sin since the blood of Jesus and His death paid the price we could not muster. But there is still the issues of the sacrifice of our self-life. Could it be that giving the Lord the "left-overs" of our time, energy, and gifting are like unto the blemished sacrifices offered in the days of Malachi? The Lord deserves our best and He notices when we do not give it.
The priests were mentioned next and warned about violating their sacred trust and covenant calling as messengers of God. His charge to them was that they turned away from true instruction and by their foul teaching caused many to stumble. They were indicted for not following God's ways but were bending the law to show partiality in matters of the law. Judgment within the Body of Christ gives one person a pass in mercy for what another person must pay to the last farthing for in having committed the same offense. We look at motives for one and actions for another which speaks of partiality in judgment.
Then comes the indictment over the people. They intermarried women of the surrounding pagan nations in violation of the Lord's command against such inter marriage. These marriages opened the door to the idolatry and worship of foreign gods that would corrupt the nation and break their covenant loyalty to the One True God.
The same can be said of us in the current day Body of Christ. Against the command to not be unequally yoked, we choose to marry non-believers who have no relationship with our Jesus. The resulting consequences are progressive and while we may or may not manage such a relationship well, we open the door to heartache trying to live in two different worlds.
In Malachi, the issue of divorce and breaking the marriage covenant is provoking to the Lord who said, "I hate divorce". In today's society, divorce statistics are shockingly high and said to be much the same within the Church as among those in the world around us.
His warning is as vital to us today as to those who lived in the days of Malachi, "So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth", for the Lord is seeking godly offspring: children raised in the admonition of the Lord.
The indictment continues and speaks of His desire and will for men who will bring offerings in righteousness. The Lord did not mince words when He said that His judgment will and must begin with His own people. We are the ones who represent Him and our increasing apathy for Holiness in the lives we live in the world of today has netted us the consequences just like it did for the nation of Israel under the indictment spoken by Malachi.
Judgment was coming against "sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress widows, and the fatherless and deprive aliens of justice" but do not fear the Lord.
The word of the Lord reminded them then and us now, "I, the Lord do not change" so we who are His people are not nor will we ever be destroyed, but our life of rebellion must stop. "Return to Me and I will return to you", says the Lord Almighty". Malachi 3:7
Then He lays out the road by which the nation can return. In today's terms:
Stop robbing God because it is through the resources that He has given to us that the Gospel is spread around the world.
Stop saying things the Lord deems as harsh against Him. "You have said it is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly, evil doers prosper and even those who challenge God escape."
I have a great appreciation for the Old Testament. I actually appreciate such clear warnings and I have found that for every spoken penalty for rebellion, there comes an encouraging promise in repentance and a blessing for obedience. Vs 16, "Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other and the Lord listened and heard. " How gracious and merciful is our Creator God and Lord. "A scroll of remembrance was written in His Presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His Name."
God has promised that He will show us to be His possession and we "will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked between those who serve God and those who do not".
Waiting is the hard part, and it is in the waiting that discouragement hits and we are tempted to give up and give in. The Lord's counsel today is my caution against that temptation. I choose to take it to heart and let the waiting have its perfect result: A detection of weakness that needs to be strengthened in my faith walk with the Lord.
The National Day of Prayer needs to start with confession and repentance of the corporate sin since all of us may be accountable for having betrayed our Lord's directives. While we understand that we have escaped the ultimate judgment of Holiness, the age of Grace is not an excuse to let depravity rule our lives.
Repentance is still required in our love relationship with the Holy One. Today I realize the encouragement in repentance. I need to ask His forgiveness for the doubts that may not make it past my lips but yet still represent what causes Him grief within my heart.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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