Based on Malachi 3 (New King James Version)
“‘Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. ‘Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in former years. And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien—because they do not fear Me,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’ ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. ‘And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the Lord of hosts; ‘And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Your words have been harsh against Me,’ says the Lord, ‘Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.’’ Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’ Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”
Thomas Edison said, “The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.” The Bible explains that Christ is the head of the church, which means that we are the body. For it is written: “And He is the head of the body, the church…” Colossians 1:18a. Yet, what good is the body if it is not doing what it is supposed to, or it is full of sick parts? What kind of a problem would a person have if the brain is sending signals to move the arm a certain way, and it neither responds, or it does something completely different? Wouldn’t that be called an “abnormality” and that medical attention would be required immediately? What if a part of the body is decomposing, and it’s full of gangrene? Wouldn’t that part be amputated in order to save the rest of surrounding members? Where am I going with these questions?
One of the issues that exists today in some folk’s Christian doctrine is neglecting the fact that everyone has a purpose. Are we saved by grace? Absolutely, 100%! But grace has a distinct purpose. God loves us. He gave His Son so we could have eternal life. Everything He does is out of love. But love should not due away with the expectation of purpose. God saved us with a purpose; not so we can just float through life continuing to do whatever we want to do, or having no direction. God’s grace has the specific intention to bring about a regeneration in a person’s life through the Holy Spirit so a person can be transformed and made fit for greater things. That’s the purpose of the Scriptures as well. For it is written: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
So, is there such a thing as someone losing favor before the eyes of God if they are not doing what they are supposed to? In today’s passage, we read of God being a refiner, a cleaner, and of being a swift witness against things that are an abomination to Him. Does this apply today, even now that we are living during the era of the dispensation of God’s grace? Yes! For it is written: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:7-9. This follows the principle that whatever you do comes back to you. So, if a part of Christ’s body is sick, gangrenous, or just not doing what it’s supposed to, what do you think will happen? Well, let me put it to you this way. If you had the same thing happening to your body, what would you do?
We read that God has a problem with folks not doing what they are supposed to do and also when they are doing something that is drastically wrong. And grace may not be able to excuse intentional sin. God has an issue with His people not using their resources right, doing things that are just wrong, and complaining about doing things for Him. How would you like it if someone showed boredom or displeasure when spending time with you? How would you feel if they complained about doing things for you, considering it is a waste of time? You wouldn’t like it, right? So why does God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Almighty God who was, who is, and who will come, have to put up with it? Why does He have to tolerate something you won’t put up with?
The other side is this: For those who do fear and love the Lord; be assured, He is watching and listening to you as well. And in due time, if you remain faithful until the end, He will reward you with things you never thought possible. So a word to the wise: take advantage of the opportunity while you still have time to leave behind those things that displease God. Whatever needs to happen to get on the right track with God, do it right away; and keep doing it always! Every single person will stand before God someday. Do you know when your day is coming? Lord bless! John