The Righteous & The Wicked

Our lives are a series of decision points and some are more important than others. The most important decision is what you will do about Jesus Christ. Will you repent of your sins and accept his righteousness as your own?

            

With Christ there is no room for half measures. He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23–24)

Robbing God?

There are many ways we might identify ourselves to someone else... occupations, relationships, hobbies, political parties, and so on. These are the answer to the question, "Who am I?"

Where does your relationship with Christ fit into that answer in your own thinking? Are you a mechanic who also believes in Christ? Or are you a Christian who also works as a mechanic? It makes a difference!

As followers of Christ, he and his kingdom should be our first priority, not just an afterthought. This is one reason people forget to give God his due in tithes and offerings. They don't think of it as a priority. They don't think of it when the get their paycheck and begin to pay their bills. Giving to God is an afterthought.

But God says, "You are robbing me!"

Fuller's Soap

      Are we there yet? “…in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy…” (2 Tim. 3:1–2)

      All of these things are abundant in our world today and getting worse and worse. While we might be tempted to despair, it is actually a cause for hope. Jesus is coming and he will renew all things!

But he will also come with judgment. Our passage today says, "Who can stand at his coming?" It goes on to warn of him going to work on us to cleanse us and purify us.

The Word of the Day is TREACHERY

      Treachery! 

It may remind you of famous betrayals. Maybe Brutus at the assassination of Julius Caesar. Or perhaps it is Benedict Arnold joining the British during the Revolutionary War.

      

From God’s perspective, any time we betray our commitment to him or to others we are committing treachery. God takes this very seriously and so should we.

Worship in Spirit & Truth

      God created human beings in his own image to have a unique relationship with him. Because of our sin that relationship is broken. But God has provided redemption through Jesus to restore us to blessed peace with God. Our hearts should sing with joy over God’s great grace!

How To Despise God's Name

      God has no patience for lukewarm worship. The ho-hum, half-hearted, disdainful attitude that was displayed in Malachi’s day did not hurt God’s feelings. It enraged him!

      If we really believe God is a great and awesome God, how dare we treat him in such a shabby way? We should come in awe and trembling, offering him our very best! When we do not, we are despising God's name.

God's Love

It was only three generations after an important time of revival in Israel. Already people had grown cold. They were going through the motions, but they cheated in their tithes. They offered defective sacrifices. They were corrupt, unjust and abusing the poor. 

God has a message for them through his prophet Malachi. “Don’t think you are going to get away with this.” He loves them too much to let them behave this way.