Malachi 3:1-4
“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. 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. 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, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. Malachi 3:1-4 (NIV)
Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament. After doing some research, Malachi was a mostly-anonymous prophet whose ministry occurred in Jerusalem during the era of Nehemiah and Ezra, roughly 400 years before Christ. We recognize the first verse from Advent telling of John the Baptist coming as the messenger for the arrival of Jesus. But the verses after that are not so familiar to me. What is Malachi telling us?
According to my research the Jewish nation was not exactly doing the things that God wanted to see from His people. Their worship was not genuine. They no longer took the law seriously. Tithes were ignored, intermarriage with pagans was common, and priests were corrupt. Malachi warned the Jewish people, “Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?” He seemed to be indicating that Jesus did not come only to comfort, but also to cleanse. Jesus brought the forgiveness for sin, but He also wants to rid us of those forgiven sins. As we look back at His first coming and ahead to His second coming, we must ask where Jesus wants to purify us.
So, it seems to me that when I come to God through Christ, I must try to give my best to him. Not in an effort to earn salvation, but because repentance is not passive. It is an active and humble pursuit of turning away from sin and toward God. Worship is not to be a causal effort, but an intentional thoughtful approach. Jesus did the work using His own blood to wipe away the guilt of our sins. He will use his Spirit to cleanse us of the presence of our sins. For me, it means I need to truly repent of my sinful ways, become more obedient to the Lord, follow through on tithing, and really love others more like Jesus did. God has assured us that our efforts to serve Him would be rewarded and that when Jesus returns to earth, we would be His.
Questions for Reflection:
- What does repentance mean to you?
- If repentance is not passive, what are we actively doing this year to turn away from sin and toward God?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus at Christmas to save us from our sins. Jesus, we know you are always with us and will come again one day. Please come into our daily lives, help us to repent, and to turn away from our sin. Amen.
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