Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Malachi 3:6-18
Set – Malachi 3; Acts 5
Go! – Malachi 3-4; Psalms 148; Acts 5
Malachi 3:6-18
6 Because I am the Eternal One, I never change; as a result, you children of Jacob have not been destroyed though your blessing may have been delayed.
7 From the days when your ancestors served Me, you have turned from and ignored My statutes. Return to Me and I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, will return to you. But you shameless people ask, “How will we return? 8 Will someone steal from God?” Yet you are always stealing from Me! But you self-centered people still ask, “How have we stolen from You?” In the tithes and the offerings you have not given Me as the law requires! 9 You are cursed with a curse, for as an entire nation you are stealing from Me. 10 To rectify this situation, you must bring the entire tithe into the storage house in the temple so that there may be food for Me and for the Levites in My house. Feel free to test Me now in this. See whether or not I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, will open the windows of heaven to you and pour a blessing down upon you until all needs are satisfied. 11 I will rebuke the swarm of locusts devouring your crops, and the devourer will not cause the produce you have grown in the earth to decay or the vines in the field to drop their grapes. 12 And all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight. I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, promise you this.
13 Your words of rebellion against Me have been strong. Yet you ask, “What have we said against You?” 14 You have said, “Serving God is a waste of time,” and, “What benefits have we received by following Him as we mourned on our journey before the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies? 15 Now we believe the bluster of the arrogant and agree they are blessed; we encourage the wicked who also test God and escape.”
16 Then those who fear the Eternal One consulted each other about God’s charges, each one to his neighbor, and the Eternal One paid attention and heard. A book of remembrance was written before Him for those who honored the Eternal One and valued His name and the good reputation.
Eternal One: 17 And they will be Mine on that day when I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, make My unique treasure—which is the kingdom of Israel. I will have pity on them as a man has pity on his son who serves him.
18 And you will return and notice the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those serving God and those not serving Him.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
You’ve probably heard a lot of sermons from Malachi chapter three. Most have probably been on tithing and robbing Me of what belongs to Me. But in the verses you heard today, I want to point out something the people did that Malachi spoke to that caused many of them problems. It had to do with their stealing from Me and their rebellion against Me, but those charges were already confirmed by My judgment against them as voiced by My prophet Malachi.
If you listened carefully, you heard that they consulted each other about the charges, each one to his neighbor. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but sometimes not. The caveat that’s important in the description here is that those who feared Me consulted each other. When they did, they found the charges true and they needed to do something about it. The rest, just blew off what Malachi told them as just another preacher spouting off.
The difference will be obvious among those who listened and those who didn’t one day. Those who don’t heed My warnings will find themselves eternally lost. Those who listen to Me and follow My directions will find peace and prosperity in My kingdom. You might not have the riches of this world, but the riches of this world never last. Mine do.
The world can tell the difference between those who heed My warnings and those who do not. There is a difference in your countenance. A difference in the way you approach life. There is a difference in the way you handle the adversity that comes to everyone. A difference in the praise you give and the way you give grace to those around you, even to those who do not deserve it.
So go ahead and discuss the charges you hear from Me, but don’t discuss too long. When you hear from Me, just do something about it. I will extend My grace and forgive when you turn to Me. But do it soon, time is running out.
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