Malachi 2: 7 "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his
mouth men should seek instruction--because he is the messenger of the
LORD Almighty." NLT
Lord,
This is an admonition to me as a priest of Yours. Fellow Christians and the world ought to be able to come to us true believers for pure knowledge and instruction from Your Word. However; for us to be able to speak it, I have to KNOW it and live it. If I half-know, I can lead someone else astray instead of to You.
You have promised in Your Word that the Holy Spirit will lead me into ALL truth, He is the author and finisher of my faith, and I have the mind of Christ. I have no excuses. All believers are messengers from You as You have commanded that we obey the Great Commission. The choice to obey is mine, but that does not change the command, or the discipline that I can expect if I choose to disobey.
Lord, help be to be salt and light every day and to be able to speak the truth to all.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Life and Peace Requires Reverence for God's Name
Malachi 2: 4-6 "Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my
covenant with the Levites can continue," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and
that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly
revered me and stood in awe of my name. They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from
me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous
lives, and they turned many from lives of sin." NLT
Sweet Lord,
Your plan is always the best for us. Your plan for them and us is life and peace. You even went so far as to come to us as Emmanuel in human form to: love, teach, bless, heal, and be the perfect Sacrificial Lamb for all mankind! You gave Your life for us so that we may not only have eternal life with You, but also an abundant life here. You give the peace that passes all understanding if we allow it.
As one of Your priests in this age, You long for, "they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin." to be true of all Christians and me.
Lord, have I failed to be the priestess You have asked me to be? Has Your church as a whole failed You in America? There is so much evil in our country. I am very fortunate that I have righteous pastors and teachers at our church and at Liberty University where you have blessed me to work, who teach and live the truth. I want to be a blessing to You and to all with whom I come in contact. Help me, Lord! Help all of us who claim Your name to be like Levites were at first.
Sweet Lord,
Your plan is always the best for us. Your plan for them and us is life and peace. You even went so far as to come to us as Emmanuel in human form to: love, teach, bless, heal, and be the perfect Sacrificial Lamb for all mankind! You gave Your life for us so that we may not only have eternal life with You, but also an abundant life here. You give the peace that passes all understanding if we allow it.
As one of Your priests in this age, You long for, "they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin." to be true of all Christians and me.
Lord, have I failed to be the priestess You have asked me to be? Has Your church as a whole failed You in America? There is so much evil in our country. I am very fortunate that I have righteous pastors and teachers at our church and at Liberty University where you have blessed me to work, who teach and live the truth. I want to be a blessing to You and to all with whom I come in contact. Help me, Lord! Help all of us who claim Your name to be like Levites were at first.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
I Must Make Up My Mind to Honor God's Name
Malachi 2:1-2 ""Listen, you priests—this command is for you! Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name," says the LORD of Heaven's
Armies, "or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the
blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not
taken my warning to heart. I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your
festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile." NLT
O Lord, what a horrific picture! As a mother and grandmother, I cannot imagine what that must have been like to hear about your children and grandchildren! And yet, nothing changed. They would not repent and so you were silent until You sent John.
Israel's priests were going through the motions of the rituals, but their hearts were not in their sacrifices. You had blessed them so richly by bringing them out of captivity and back into their native land, yet it had not taken long for them to revert back to the very ways that had sent them away in the first place.
In reading the Intertestamental history, I see that the High Priesthood had become very corrupt. High priests were elected by their peers or appointed by the pagan rulers and became a political office instead of a rightful priesthood. They were put in charge of armies, and at one point there was a civil war between the Pharisees and Sadducees! Jews fighting Jews over territory.
Because of the desecration of the temple by Antiochus IV, when Jehovah was to be called Zeus and pigs were made to be offered on the temple altars, it is no small wonder that You were charged with blasphemy and was going to be stoned when he said that he would destroy the temple and build another not made by hands. It is also not surprising that the Pharisees had made up over 600 laws not found in Leviticus that the Jews had to follow to be "good Jews"! And yet, they lived in dark silence with no prophet to tell them what You wanted them to know because of their stiff-neckedness and hard hearts. They practiced ritual without reality. In our age, some do the same thing.
Sweet Lord, You brought me out of the darkness of my life into Your blessed light; out of captivity of my own sin into freedom to be Your bond slave to enjoy Your blessings in my life. All You ask of me is loving obedience to Your commands. You will never accept lip service or service done for You or others out of a sense of obligation or to gain praise for myself.
You cursed Israel's blessings and were silent for 400 years because, although they were Your chosen people, their hearts were far from you. And yet, You found Mary and Joseph in all of that mess! Lord, keep my heart on fire for You all the days of my life that I may serve you with a whole heart!
O Lord, what a horrific picture! As a mother and grandmother, I cannot imagine what that must have been like to hear about your children and grandchildren! And yet, nothing changed. They would not repent and so you were silent until You sent John.
Israel's priests were going through the motions of the rituals, but their hearts were not in their sacrifices. You had blessed them so richly by bringing them out of captivity and back into their native land, yet it had not taken long for them to revert back to the very ways that had sent them away in the first place.
In reading the Intertestamental history, I see that the High Priesthood had become very corrupt. High priests were elected by their peers or appointed by the pagan rulers and became a political office instead of a rightful priesthood. They were put in charge of armies, and at one point there was a civil war between the Pharisees and Sadducees! Jews fighting Jews over territory.
Because of the desecration of the temple by Antiochus IV, when Jehovah was to be called Zeus and pigs were made to be offered on the temple altars, it is no small wonder that You were charged with blasphemy and was going to be stoned when he said that he would destroy the temple and build another not made by hands. It is also not surprising that the Pharisees had made up over 600 laws not found in Leviticus that the Jews had to follow to be "good Jews"! And yet, they lived in dark silence with no prophet to tell them what You wanted them to know because of their stiff-neckedness and hard hearts. They practiced ritual without reality. In our age, some do the same thing.
Sweet Lord, You brought me out of the darkness of my life into Your blessed light; out of captivity of my own sin into freedom to be Your bond slave to enjoy Your blessings in my life. All You ask of me is loving obedience to Your commands. You will never accept lip service or service done for You or others out of a sense of obligation or to gain praise for myself.
You cursed Israel's blessings and were silent for 400 years because, although they were Your chosen people, their hearts were far from you. And yet, You found Mary and Joseph in all of that mess! Lord, keep my heart on fire for You all the days of my life that I may serve you with a whole heart!
Do I Honor the Lord As Those In Other Countries Do?
Malachi 1:11-14 "But my name is honored by
people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer
sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name.
For my name is great among the nations," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you
are saying it's all right to defile the Lord's table. You say, 'It's too hard to serve the LORD,' and you turn up your noses at my
commands," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "Think of it! Animals that are
stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept
from you such offerings as these?" asks the LORD."Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then
sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD of
Heaven's Armies, "and my name is feared among the nations!" NLT
Oh, Dear Lord! Could this be said of American Christians as well? Although we do not offer animal sacrifices in Christianity, we do give offerings of our time, talent, and treasure. The Lord's Table for some has become so routine that they partake of it unworthily, just as they did in Paul's day. Before I was saved, I did out of ignorance, how much more now the would You be dishonored if I did now?
I know there are underground churches in persecuted countries who worship You more fervently and see the need to obey Your commands much more than we are here. Lord, may revival begin with me and my house as we serve You with wholehearted humble gratitude for what you have done for us, and that we would be willing to give You our very best always.
Oh, Dear Lord! Could this be said of American Christians as well? Although we do not offer animal sacrifices in Christianity, we do give offerings of our time, talent, and treasure. The Lord's Table for some has become so routine that they partake of it unworthily, just as they did in Paul's day. Before I was saved, I did out of ignorance, how much more now the would You be dishonored if I did now?
I know there are underground churches in persecuted countries who worship You more fervently and see the need to obey Your commands much more than we are here. Lord, may revival begin with me and my house as we serve You with wholehearted humble gratitude for what you have done for us, and that we would be willing to give You our very best always.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
"I am not pleased with you," says the LORD
Malachi 1:9-10 "Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will
he accept you?"--says the LORD Almighty." NIV
"How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "and I will not accept your offerings." NLT
Oh, Lord! Is this where Your church is today in America? There are of course some "Hot Spots" where believers follow hard after You and live it everyday, but as a whole isYour church is lukewarm or ice cold altogether? We complain that our religious liberties are being taken away, but if we offer our Governmental leaders the same type of "sacrifice" that we offer You, why would they ever want to change things and listen to us?
As "Christians" we are a sinful nation. I spoke to two young ladies yesterday who were from the very area where the Pilgrims landed and where the first Great Awakening happened in New England. They told me that the area is ice cold as far as Christianity is concerned. And yet when the census was taken, that whole area looked like a red hot spot of folks who call themselves Evangelical Christians.
Like Daniel, Lord, I ask that You forgive our sins as a nation and bring us back to being a Christian Nation under God. Our sins are great, Lord: selfishness, greed, envy, lasciviousness, discontentment, complaining, adultery, divorce, pornography, abuse and lawlessness of every kind, total disregard for You and disobedient to Your Word. Lord, we need forgiveness, repentence and healing! WE NEED REVIVAL and another Great Awakening! Until we are willing to confess and repent as a Church, we can ask nothing of You and deserve the same discipline You gave to Israel in the time of Daniel!
As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas You are totally lost in the celebration and it is supposed to be a celebration of Your Birth! Instead, it has become a nation wide celebration of secular materialism , glitz, and glamour. Oh Lord, please forgive us!
"How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "and I will not accept your offerings." NLT
Oh, Lord! Is this where Your church is today in America? There are of course some "Hot Spots" where believers follow hard after You and live it everyday, but as a whole isYour church is lukewarm or ice cold altogether? We complain that our religious liberties are being taken away, but if we offer our Governmental leaders the same type of "sacrifice" that we offer You, why would they ever want to change things and listen to us?
As "Christians" we are a sinful nation. I spoke to two young ladies yesterday who were from the very area where the Pilgrims landed and where the first Great Awakening happened in New England. They told me that the area is ice cold as far as Christianity is concerned. And yet when the census was taken, that whole area looked like a red hot spot of folks who call themselves Evangelical Christians.
Like Daniel, Lord, I ask that You forgive our sins as a nation and bring us back to being a Christian Nation under God. Our sins are great, Lord: selfishness, greed, envy, lasciviousness, discontentment, complaining, adultery, divorce, pornography, abuse and lawlessness of every kind, total disregard for You and disobedient to Your Word. Lord, we need forgiveness, repentence and healing! WE NEED REVIVAL and another Great Awakening! Until we are willing to confess and repent as a Church, we can ask nothing of You and deserve the same discipline You gave to Israel in the time of Daniel!
As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas You are totally lost in the celebration and it is supposed to be a celebration of Your Birth! Instead, it has become a nation wide celebration of secular materialism , glitz, and glamour. Oh Lord, please forgive us!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Do I Offer Dishonorable Sacrifices?
Malachi 1: 6c-9"But you ask, 'How have we ever shown contempt for your name?' "You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. "Then you
ask, 'How have we defiled the sacrifices? '
"You defile them by saying the altar of the LORD deserves no respect. When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn't that wrong? And isn't it wrong
to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to
your governor, and see how pleased he is!" says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of
offering, why should he show you any favor at all?" asks the LORD of Heaven's
Armies."
Sweet Lord,
What kind of sacrifices am I bringing to you in my life? Am I willing to sacrifice my time, talent and treasure to the point of being seen as an acceptable sacrifice, or am Ioffering You my leftovers? These are quite hard questions for me to answer right now. I want to offer You the very BEST always. I believe I do in my work at school, and my work at home...doing all as unto You. But I wonder about my "inside" life.
Lord, search me and know my heart. Reveal to me the sins I need to confess and of which I need to repent. Please, Lord! I want to please You in EVERY WAY!
Sweet Lord,
What kind of sacrifices am I bringing to you in my life? Am I willing to sacrifice my time, talent and treasure to the point of being seen as an acceptable sacrifice, or am Ioffering You my leftovers? These are quite hard questions for me to answer right now. I want to offer You the very BEST always. I believe I do in my work at school, and my work at home...doing all as unto You. But I wonder about my "inside" life.
Lord, search me and know my heart. Reveal to me the sins I need to confess and of which I need to repent. Please, Lord! I want to please You in EVERY WAY!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Contempt or Honor?
Malachi 1:6 a-b "The LORD of Heaven's Armies (Almighty) says to the priests: "A son honors his father, and a
servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor
and respect I deserve? You have (despised) shown contempt for my name!" NLT
Sweet Lord! I know that this was written to Israel's priests; but as an adopted child, willing servant, priestess, and saint today so much more would this apply to me! Lord, I do not want to despise or show contempt for Your name! You are due all honor and obedience with a willing heart because of what You have, in love, done for me! You are my Father and Master and ALL honor is due You!
Lord, please forgive me for the times I have ignored You, been disobedient, and have not shown You the honor You are due.
Sweet Lord! I know that this was written to Israel's priests; but as an adopted child, willing servant, priestess, and saint today so much more would this apply to me! Lord, I do not want to despise or show contempt for Your name! You are due all honor and obedience with a willing heart because of what You have, in love, done for me! You are my Father and Master and ALL honor is due You!
Lord, please forgive me for the times I have ignored You, been disobedient, and have not shown You the honor You are due.
Malachi- Truth for Today
Malachi 1:1-5 "This is the message that
the LORD gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi. "I have always loved you," says the LORD. But you retort, "Really? How have you
loved us?" And the LORD replies, "This is how I showed my love for you: I loved
your ancestor Jacob, but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned
Esau's inheritance into a desert for jackals." Esau's descendants in Edom may say, "We have been shattered, but we will rebuild
the ruins." But the LORD of Heaven's Armies replies, "They may try to rebuild,
but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as 'The Land of
Wickedness,' and their people will be called 'The People with Whom the LORD Is
Forever Angry.' When you see the destruction for yourselves, you will say, 'Truly, the LORD's
greatness reaches far beyond Israel's borders!'"
Lord, how true this is even today! The conflict between Muslims and Christian/Jews still rages. The conflict is so great in Jordan and Syria right now that many thousands of Christians have either fled as refugees, been imprisoned, or have been martyred for their faith. Allah, their false god requires that we all be eliminated.
He is not the God of love and pease that we serve. Even at the time this was written, You knew You would be the Living Sacrifice for their sins as well as the sins of those who would come to love You as Savior and Lord.
Lord, they do not realize they are following a false god who will lead them to Hell and destruction. They are being deceived by the enemy of their souls and need You to open their eyes to the truth.
Lord, how true this is even today! The conflict between Muslims and Christian/Jews still rages. The conflict is so great in Jordan and Syria right now that many thousands of Christians have either fled as refugees, been imprisoned, or have been martyred for their faith. Allah, their false god requires that we all be eliminated.
He is not the God of love and pease that we serve. Even at the time this was written, You knew You would be the Living Sacrifice for their sins as well as the sins of those who would come to love You as Savior and Lord.
Lord, they do not realize they are following a false god who will lead them to Hell and destruction. They are being deceived by the enemy of their souls and need You to open their eyes to the truth.
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