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Today’s reading:  Malachi 4

Have you ever been part of a project where current state and future state are considerably different?  Or maybe a project where there is a longer than ideal time gap between the wind down of current state and the official start of future state?  If you have, you know these circumstances require a bridge – specific tactics to help the organization successfully get from point A to point B without things falling off the rails.

Malachi 4 is a bridge.  This, the last chapter in the last book of the Old Testament, serves as a bridge between the Old Testament and New Testament.  After the prophet Malachi’s death, God’s prophets were silent for 400 years. Talk about the need for a bridge, 400 years is a long time between current state (Old Testament Law) and future state (salvation through Jesus Christ)!  Focus here on the last two verses of this short chapter:

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction” (Malachi 4:5-6).

God promised to send a great prophet, like Elijah, to prepare the way for future state.  Because we have the benefit of hindsight, we know this prophet was John the Baptist.  After 400 years of being left to their own sinful ways, God sent John the Baptist to prepare God’s people for the coming Messiah by guiding them to repent from their sins.

The message of hope the prophet Malachi shared with God’s people in Malachi 4 is the same message of hope John the Baptist spoke of in the first century and the same message of hope for Christfollowers today.  God controls the future.  In his time, everything will be made right.  Those of us who love God and put our trust in his son Jesus can look forward to a victorious and glorious future.

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty (Malachi 4:2-3).

Today’s Reading: Malachi 1

With the advent season upon us, we are actively looking forward to the most precious and amazing gift we have ever been given, Jesus.  This season of anticipation is filled with so much joy and happiness and excitement.  One of our traditions for my family is the elf on the shelf.  Our elf is named Simon.  He has been visiting our house for over 11 years.  He comes on the 1st day of December and leaves on the 24th of December.  The kids all wake up daily with the joy and excitement of finding Simon and to see what activities he has been doing throughout the evening and his trip to the North Pole.  This is a great example of how we should start our day: waking up with excitement and seeing what Jesus has done for us overnight and the excitement of what the day will bring.  

As the season of Advent turns into Christmas, with the celebration of the birth of Christ. A lot of us are searching for the best gifts to exchange with each other and the anticipated joy that it may bring. For the kids, it is a time of excitement. For the young  it is a time of celebration.  For moms and dads it is a time of reflection and memories.  

In the Bible, Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, before the birth of Christ.  It is approximately 400 years between the last words of Malachi and the proclamation from the angels of Christ birth.   In the first chapter of Malachi, God is directly telling Israel how He has shown love to us and how we have not acknowledged the love or recognize this love and he is disappointed.  

Malachi 1: 1-3;5

 God said, “I love you.”

You replied, “Really? How have you loved us?”

“Look at history” (this is God’s answer). “Look at how differently I’ve treated you, Jacob, from Esau: I loved Jacob and hated Esau. I reduced pretentious Esau to a molehill, turned his whole country into a ghost town.”

5 “Yes, take a good look. Then you’ll see how faithfully I’ve loved you and you’ll want even more, saying, ‘May God be even greater, beyond the borders of Israel!’

He has continuously been gracious to Israel and in return for his goodness he was met with deceit and complete disregard for his love.   Like Israel, have we given him our worst, when he constantly gives us his best?  

Malachi 1:11- 13 MSG 

“I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They’re saying it everywhere: ‘God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.’

12-13 “All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, ‘Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,’ and when you say, ‘I’m bored—this doesn’t do anything for me.’ You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it’s a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I’m going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!

I’m guilty of this as well.  How many times have I not given my full potential or talent to what God has in store for me? Many times. How many times have I not given fully to those in need? Many times.  How many times have I not  shown mercy to others? Many times.  I acknowledge that throughout my life I have been here.  But with my acknowledgement of his presence in my life and my current relationship, I attempt to give him my all: all of my life, all of my family, all of my finances, all of my health; in return for his peace and blessings on me.  I may falter, but I constantly get back up and continue to push forward.    

How can I (we) do better at giving our Father the best gifts: 

• Be intentional about the gifts that we give.  
• Acknowledge that we will fail often, but we will have to continue to work at giving the right gifts 
• He only wants us to be thoughtful and respectful of him and his presence 

What gifts are we preparing to give God during this Advent, Christmas, and Incarnation Season? Are we willing to give him the best and first fruits of our everything? Will we be able to transition to a place of reverence and reflection?

May we be able to grow and shine with this renewed commitment. 

Be blessed 

I am not a huge football fan, but I do love to watch an unexpected play. In the video above you see dynamic play review of a “reverse play” or “reversal”. According to Google, a reversal in football is a relatively common trick play in American football that involves one or more abrupt changes in the lateral flow of a rushing play. I sat and watched the entire video above because it was exciting, unexpected, and led to a great ending.

This is exactly what we see in our reading of Esther 9 and 10 today. God took a helpless and hopeless situation and turned it around.

We read in this chapter that the day the Jewish people had dreaded was finally here. Haman, the second in command, had a plan to kill Mordecai and wipe out all Jewish people. However, Queen Esther was able to appeal to King Ahasuerus. King Ahasuerus allowed Mordecai to issue an opposing decree allowing the Jews to defend their lives with lethal force.

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.
Esther 9:1

Instead of death, the Jews walked in victory. A true reversal had happened. It is not what they expected to happen. God had worked behind the scenes to bring this victory to His people.

God is in control. Even when He is silent, we can trust that He is at work. Just as the Jewish people thought they would face their demise, God brought about the reversal they needed to experience victory.

We can expect the same reversals in our life. Instead of death, we can choose Jesus and receive life. Instead of condemnation, we can receive forgiveness. Instead of hell, we can receive the gift of life and eternity in Heaven.

Jesus dying on the cross for you and I was the true reversal. The ULTIMATE reversal. Because of Him, we can walk in victory.

The prophet Daniel was a disciplined and noble man.  He was a resolute follower during the Babylonians rule over the Jews.  During a time when the Babylonians turned the Jews into slaves and tried for force their alternative and sinful culture on them, Daniel stood firm to his Jewish faith.

In Verse 7 of chapter 9, Daniel exclaims to God “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame – the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where You have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to You.” Verse 8, “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kinds, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.” Verse 9, “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.”

Daniel was the voice of humility and reverence to God at a time when the Jews were being punished for years of rebellion and sin.  Amid slavery, shame, strife, and near hopelessness, Daniel consistently turned to the Lord.  Daniel proclaimed to the Jews the need and imperative for them to admit their wrongdoing, confess their sins to God, and ask God for forgiveness.

Humility is an imperative personality trait.  The ability to acknowledge when we have made a mistake, admit fault, and knowingly face the reality of a situation is imperative.

Unfortunately, arrogance can take over instead.  Arrogance is sin.  We deny our transgressions and fail to acknowledge our faults or wrongs.  We “double down” on making excuses, we remain on the same path, continue to make the same mistakes, and do not turn to God for guidance.

How do we respond to friends and family who are struggling, pursuing the wrong things, or walking down the wrong path?

Perhaps it is the opportunity to schedule a meal or coffee.  Maybe you can forward them a sermon from your church.  Sometimes the uncertainty of reaching out to someone struggling can be scary.  We do not know how they are going to react or perhaps they will resent our attempt to help them.   The Bible calls us to commit to scripture and help those in need.  We must “put ourselves out there” to witness to brothers and sisters in need of guidance and counsel, bringing them to saving words of our Savior.

Hebrews 13:16 says “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for another.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 says “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”