Malachi 3:1-4
1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.
Malachi 4:1-6
1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. 3 Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty.
4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.
5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
Related Text:
Isaiah 60
Matthew 3:1-12
Matthew 17:10-13
Luke 1:1-17
-
Interesting
Malachi is the last of the Old Testament prophets. However, we know nothing of the person of Malachi – all we have as any insight into who he was are the words that he wrote. By these words, we get a sense that he had a dynamic and obedient love for God and faith in God’s plan.
This passage that we read today brings to mind many different topics that we could focus on. For instance: How does God refine you? Do you need refining? What’s your attitude like under pressure? What sort of offerings are you giving up to God?
But what I would like you to spend some time on today is to think about this question. If you were gone and you left behind a journal, or essays about your life, or a video log of your daily activities, or if someone secretly followed you around for a week with a camera, what would any of those things show about your love for and faith in God? What does the paper trail of your life tell about your devotion to our LORD?
Deuteronomy 32:1-4
1 Pay attention, heavens, and I will speak;
listen, earth, to the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain
and my word settle like dew,
like gentle rain on new grass
and showers on tender plants.
3 For I will proclaim the LORD’s name.
Declare the greatness of our God!
4 The Rock-His work is perfect;
all His ways are entirely just.
A faithful God, without prejudice,
He is righteous and true. 1 Samuel 2:1-2
1 Hannah prayed:
My heart rejoices in the LORD;
my horn is lifted up by the LORD.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
because I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like the LORD.
There is no one besides You!
And there is no rock like our God. Psalm 18:2-3
2 The LORD is my rock,
my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my mountain where I seek refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.
3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I was saved from my enemies.
Related Text:
Deuteronomy 32
2 Samuel 22
Psalm 62
Romans 9:30-33
1 Corinthians 10:1-4
1 Peter 2:1-8
-
In the New Testament, Jesus is also referred to as the Rock.
Check out 1 Peter 2:4-8 -
4As you come to him, the living Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him- 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.” 7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone,” 8and,
“A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message-which is also what they were destined for.”
If it just got WAY too confusing, read it again. This time, read it and pick out the names used to represent Jesus and the names that represent us. (Here’s a tip to get you started, Jesus = the living Stone and cornerstone, We = like living stones)
If God’s teaching is falling down like rain, then I want to be outside playing in His rain. Forget the umbrella . . .ella . . .ella!! I want to soak it up, I want to let my fingers get all wrinkly, I want to super jump on the wet trampoline!
Hill Thread will be participating in the 10 Day Give this year for the first time. We are super excited and can’t wait for October 1. Make sure you sign up and partner with this great act of service.
“The 10 Day Give is a challenge that is designed to help us get our minds off of ourselves and start thinking about how we can help others.
The thing is, I think most people really want to make other people’s lives better, but with everything going on all around us all hours of the day, we just don’t get a chance. This is an opportunity to choose, on purpose, to give of ourselves. There really are hundreds of opportunities that we overlook each day. My goal is to just grab hold of one of them each day.
For some people that means giving money, for others time is far more precious than money, and for others it may mean their expertise in an area. But, no matter who you are, we all have something to give.
It could be taking someone out to lunch, it could be babysitting for an overworked mom, it can as simple as giving your precious time by taking your mom to the park to talk. There are no rules, no judges, and no right or wrong ways of completing the challenge.
But, I encourage you to sign up for the challenge and decide to give whatever you can – it’s only for 10 days. And who knows, maybe it will become a habit.
So, why not decide to take 10 days to give something to a different person, each day. It doesn’t matter what the gift is, how much it costs, who it is given to, or how it is given. The point is to just to give – on purpose. We hope you decide to join us.”
“Last October hundreds of us got together and decided to give for 10 days straight. Some of us gave money, some gave time, some gave to family members, some gave to complete strangers, but all of us gave what we could. We did it because it was a small step to purposefully get in the habit of giving.
This year we are going to do it again (starting October 1st) and you are invited to join us! Check out the video below and you can sign up here!”
