3 Things to Learn from Malachi: The Last Book before Centuries of Silence..... By Alice William

 3 Things to Learn from Malachi: The Last Book before Centuries of Silence

By Alice William

“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. – Malachi 3:1

The term Malachi means “My Messenger,” which aligns perfectly with the purpose of the book as it communicates God’s message to His people. It is laid out as a conversation between man and God, argumentative, heartfelt, and convicting.

Let’s look at a few things we can learn from this minor prophet.

1. God is unchanging.

Malachi is home of the famous verse on God’s unchanging nature. “For I am the Lord, I do not change;” (Malachi 3:6) Throughout the book, we can encounter God, going through a roller coaster of emotions. From love, to anger, to justice, God remains true to His character.

2. The names of God evoke different responses.

Throughout Malachi we read about different names given to God. What is interesting is that almost each of these names invoke a certain type of response from us. Here are just a few:

Father

In Malachi 1:6, God calls Himself “Father” and He urges honor from His people. Just like how a child would respect their father.

Master

In the same verse, He is called a “Master,” demanding reverence and respect that a servant would show to his earthly master.

Lord of Hosts

Several times in Malachi, God is called the “Lord of Hosts,” which speaks of His authority and dominion over Heavenly beings. Our response to His dominion is to glorify Him and to make His name great. (Malachi 1:11; 2:2)

3. God answers our strange questions.

Malachi is written as a conversation between God and man. And in those conversations, one of the strange things that recur is when God makes a straightforward statement followed by man’s counter-argumentative question to which, most times, God responds.

Malachi’s opening lines express God’s love for Israel. Strangely, the question posed to God is, “In what way have you loved us?” (Malachi 1:2) These people were first-hand witnesses of God’s mighty hand at work, guiding, rescuing, protecting, and watching out for them. Yet, they questioned God’s love toward them.

Later in chapter 1 when God says that they have despised His name and offered defiled food, they respond saying,

“In what way have we despised Your name?

In what way have we defiled You?”(Malachi 1:6-7)

One would think that these people would have learned by now not to retort the Almighty God. Four more questions, similar to the above, span out in the rest of Malachi, which are vague rhetorical questions, reflecting the people’s oblivious nature. They didn’t honor or comprehend what God had done for them, nor had they looked at their own lives and reflected on God’s accusations.

Malachi is special to us now, as we wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the second time. Just as He promised, He will come. Until then, let’s remember to heed His word and glorify His name.

Love Encourages..... Denison Ministries

 Love Encourages

Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

James 2:26 tells us, “Faith apart from works is dead.” If we are going to experience the fullness of life offered to us through our faith we must be those who put our words into action. We must not profess to love God on Sundays and live as if he isn’t present, real, or good on Monday. May your faith come alive this week as you seek to be a doer of the word.

Scripture:“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25

Devotional:

When was the last time someone really encouraged you? Maybe it was a family member or friend. How did it make you feel? How did you view yourself afterwards? If you haven’t been encouraged in a while, how greatly do you long for it?

Encouragement is powerful! It has the ability to change emotions and trajectories. It has the power to fill someone with courage and boldness to say yes to the plans and heart of God. Encouragement is truly a gift we’ve been given for edifying each other. We are meant to encourage one another. The Bible makes it clear that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are meant to both give and receive encouragement. Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Have you ever thought about how you could change the day of a complete stranger just with a few kind words? Jesus knew the power of encouragement. He loved to use the tool of encouragement to direct his disciples into the life God intended for them. Jesus spoke life into the people he encountered. He encouraged the outcasts, the downhearted, the needy. A perfect example of the power of encouragement can be found in the story of Zacchaeus. Luke 19:1-10 reads,

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus encouraged an outcast tax collector and changed the trajectory of his life. He simply told  Zacchaeus that he wanted to spend time with him, followed through with that commitment, and the entire town was blessed. Zacchaeus got his income through overtaxing his own people for the benefit of Rome and himself. He was cast out from society and hated by those around him.. Jesus, to the dismay of the others, encouraged Zacchaeus, spent time with him, and changed his life.

You can live like Jesus today. Who needs an encouraging word from you? Who needs to be encouraged by you simply wanting to spend some time with them? There’s grace on your life to minister to the hurting and lonely around you. There’s grace to minister like Jesus. Walk in relationship with your heavenly Father, live with the knowledge that you are fully loved, and love others through the power of encouragement.

Guided Prayer:           

1. Take some time to meditate on what the Bible says about encouragement.

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

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”Ephesians 4:29

“Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”Proverbs 12:25

2. Ask the Lord whom he would have you encourage today. Maybe it’s a co-worker that’s seemed down lately, a family member going through a hard time or even a stranger that just needs a kind word.

3. Ask God how he would have you encourage that person. It could be as simple as sending a text message or taking someone out for a meal. Maybe it’s a few kind words or help financially. Ask the Spirit to help you follow his leadership.

The Bible makes it clear that the tongue wields incredible power. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Choose to speak life today. Choose to honor those around you instead of condemn. Choose to see the grace God has placed in people around you—to see past the façade and tough exterior people put up and speak to the heart. God intends for you to both give and receive encouragement. Who will you speak life into today?

Extended Reading: Romans 12

The Power of the Holy Spirit..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Power of the Holy Spirit

Dr. Charles Stanley

Luke 24:44-53

The principle we will explore today is basic but so powerful that it determines whether we experience victory in our lives.

You are probably familiar with the book The Little Engine That Could, in which a small engine keeps repeating the words "I think I can." By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That's a nice children's story, but the truth of the Christian life is very different. In the real world, our efforts and determination often fall short. Only by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit can the godly life be achieved.

Throughout the Old Testament, God's Spirit would temporarily come upon saints for a particular work. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Spirit to dwell permanently within each believer. Consider what this means: If you're a Christian, God is living inside of you, available to help all through life by providing guidance, comfort, and empowerment.

Obedience to Christ is too difficult for anyone relying on his own strength. And discerning what to do in every situation is far too complicated for a fleshly mind. For some reason, though, Christians often try to live life by depending on their own energy and reasoning. Defeat and failure are unavoidable without His power in our lives.

Do you recognize your need for the Lord? Begin each day confessing your dependence upon Him. Ask to be filled with His Spirit so that all you think, do, and say will be an overflow from Him. Then trust Him to work in mighty ways through you. Watch what almighty God can do.

Set Free From Feeling Less-Than..... SHARON JAYNES

 Set Free From Feeling Less-Than

SHARON JAYNES 

“…‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’” Luke 13:12 (NIV)

There I sat. Second row, middle. Front and center. Scared to death. I wasn’t scared of the camera. I was scared of life.

The day I found that picture of myself, I had been flipping through a childhood scrapbook my mom made. The pictures began on the day she brought me home from the hospital, and continued through birthdays and Christmas mornings. But when I got to my kindergarten class photo, my heart stood still.

While all the other children sat straight and tall with big smiles that would make any parent proud, I sat slumped with my hand up to my mouth … biting the knuckle of my right index finger.

My hair was perfectly curled and my monogrammed dress crisply starched. I looked good on the outside. But on the inside, I remember wanting to disappear from the camera as insecurity and fear weighed heavily on my little-girl shoulders. My childhood home had not been a safe place.

The image of my slumped little body in that kindergarten picture reminds me of a woman we meet in Scripture. She, too, slumped — not because she wouldn’t stand or sit up straight but because she couldn’t. We find her story in Luke 13:10-13:

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God” (NIV).

While we might not relate to being bent over physically, most of us can relate to being “bent over” emotionally. We see feet … people passing us by, going about their busy lives. We see dirt … the mistakes we’ve made through the years. We see trash … the pain inflicted on us by others and, sometimes, by our own poor decisions.

We feel the weight of the world on our shoulders. Bent and bowed, perhaps because our appearance, age, lack of physical ability, marital status, family history or financial needs become burdensome in our broken world.

Crippled by shame, fear, pain, disappointment, depression, poverty, insecurity, inferiority, inadequacy, broken dreams.

I was emotionally crippled for many years. I listened to words from my past telling me I was “ugly,” “not good enough” and “worthless.”

Inferiority, insecurity and inadequacy were my three closest companions. I didn’t like these three lurking shadows, but they followed me everywhere I went. They stalked me, yelling taunts and accusations that no one heard but me. The more I listened to them, the more emotionally bound I became.

Then one day, Jesus called me out of hiding just as surely as He called the crippled woman to Himself in the synagogue in Luke 13. It was as if He placed His nail-scarred hand under my chin and lifted my head. He whispered to my wounded heart, Sharon, you are free from your infirmity of feeling less-than. Because of the finished work I did for you on the cross, and because of My spirit in you, you are more than enough to do what I’ve called you to do and to be who I’ve called you to be.

And that’s exactly what He’s saying to you today. No more slumping in self-doubt or hunching in halfhearted conviction. Instead, you can stand up to the full stature of a confident woman who knows she is equipped by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit and enveloped in Jesus Christ. A daughter of Abraham by grafting. A child of God by choosing.

Is there something in your life that is crippling your spirit? Unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, guilt, sorrow, worry, regret, comparison? Today is the day to cut it loose, cast it off, throw it away.

Whatever has been holding you back from lifting your head … Jesus has come to set you free! Lift up your head, dear sister. He has called you by name. You are His.

Dear Jesus, thank You for setting me free! Today, I choose to walk in that freedom and never be held captive by emotional chains again. In Your Name, Amen.

A Prayer for When You Are Under the Weight of Sin..... By Tiffany Thibault

 A Prayer for When You Are Under the Weight of Sin

By Tiffany Thibault

When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. - Psalm 65:3 (NIV)

The current mantra of our society seems to be that I must tell myself that I am worthy, I am smart, I am enough, I am capable, I am loved, and so on. To be truly happy and fulfilled, I must say, believe and live these words. However, these words are not truth.

You see, regardless of how much I personally affirm myself and try to build myself up, this affirmation still fails to cover one very important aspect of the state of my soul: I am a sinner. I may appear to do all the right things and be a “nice” person, but as a human, I am hardwired to do things that we humans like to explain or excuse away. God gave us a word for this. That word is sin.

Sin is anything we do that misses the mark of God’s perfect holiness. It’s caused a separation between God and you. Sin is anything that breaks the heart of God. Sin is anything that causes hurt to another. Sin makes us unclean and unworthy to stand before God, and no number of cultural labels can cover our sin up or make us good enough as a “sinner” to stand in the presence of God.

Our sins not only cause us to be separated from God but leave us lonely and overwhelmed under sin's consequences. Our souls feel heavy as we try to walk through life bearing sins ugly weight.

Dumping sins' weight off our shoulders is not as easy as reciting personal mantras. Getting rid of sin requires us to face it head-on, facing all of its real ugliness. We must recognize that carrying sin around has kept us trapped in a prison.

Our verse, though, gives us a solution to that. We don’t have to walk under the weight of our sins. We don’t have to be overwhelmed by the weight of carrying the burden of it.  There is only one way to rid ourselves of our sins. We must recognize that it was Jesus who died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. Romans 5:8 says that while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. 1 Peter 2:24 says this: He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness.

Jesus is the answer. He forgives every single one of our sins through his death on the cross. We must turn to Him and accept his forgiveness. It's free. It's waiting there for every single person who wants it. There are really only two choices set before us: continue living your life, overwhelmed with the weight of sin, or turn to Jesus and be saved.

If we choose to trust Jesus, He will forgive our sins - this verse promises us that! Jesus will remove that overwhelmed weight we carry. Christ’s freedom brings us joy, which will cause us to want to spend the rest of our life living for Him.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the comfort that the words of this verse give me. You forgive my transgressions! You took my sin upon yourself when you hung upon that cross, for me. You died for each one of my sins, for every one of my sin-filled thoughts, for every ugly attitude I have and for every selfish and evil action. You forgave every single one of my sins, none of them are too bad for you to forgive. Lord help me to walk in the freedom that this reality brings. Help me to point others to you, that they might also find forgiveness.

In your name, I pray, 

Amen

Wasting the Word..... by Ryan Duncan

 Wasting the Word

by Ryan Duncan

But the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:25 

Not long ago, a friend sent me a funny message over Facebook that went something like this,

Question: If someone from the 1950’s suddenly appeared before you, what would be the most difficult thing to explain to them about life today?

Answer: I possess a device, in my pocket, which is capable of accessing the eternity of information known to man. I use it to look at pictures of cats and get into arguments with strangers.

I can remember laughing after I read this. It really was true; I mostly used the internet to watch reruns of TV shows or recommend new music to friends, pretty trivial tasks for a device that contains all the world’s knowledge. After I signed off however, I was struck by a sudden thought, “Am I wasting God’s word the same way I waste the internet?” It was a sobering question. I picked my Bible up off the coffee table and for a few moments just stared at it.  

Here in my hands was a book that recounted the days when the Immortal, Eternal God of all that was and will ever be walked the earth as a man and spoke to humans. How was I using this gift again? Last I could remember it was to find a prayer that would keep me from going bald. To tell the truth, I think all Christians (me included) have a serious problem with wasting the Gospel. Just look at how we’ve used it in the past: 

• To argue why one political party is better than another,
• To tell divorcees, and homosexuals, and people from checkered backgrounds that they’re not good enough for God,
• To justify why we don’t help the broken and the needy.

The Bible is a precious gift and a valuable resource; it should never be used lightly or frivolously. So the next time you sit down for a quiet time or look up a favorite verse, remember that what you see is more than words on a page. You possess, in your hand, a testament to God’s love for humanity and his desire to be a part of our lives. Make sure you don’t waste it.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Do not waste the Word of God. When you read the Bible, seek to apply it.

Further Reading

Matthew 13:33