Prayer: Father, strong words today from You. I hear You with a forcefulness which I failed to hear before. I am listening. Teach Your servant today! Amen.
Reading: Malachi 2 key: vs. 14-17 “Yet you say, “Why?” Because Adonai bears witness between you and the wife of your youth, whom you have treated deceitfully. Yet she had been your companion and your wife by covenant. Did the One not make her with a remnant of Ruach? Then what is the One seeking? Offspring of God! So protect your spirit— do not betray the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce,” —says Adonai the God of Israel— “and the one who covers his garment with injustice,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. So protect your spirit— do not act treacherously. You wearied Adonai with your words. Yet you say: “How did we weary Him?” When you say: “Everyone doing evil is good in the sight of Adonai, and He delights in them.” Or, “Where is the God of justice?” TLV
Attention: For one who has experienced divorce multiple times including the wife of my youth, I am convicted today of my past actions. So, to everyone reading, I encourage you to take heed of the forcefulness with which Adonai expresses His “hatred” of divorce. I also want to say that there has been repentance of my former life and lifestyle since that period of my life. The apostle Paul’s writings to young Timothy had a sobering impact upon me several years ago when he says, “holding to an outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people (2 Timothy 3:5b)!” It was like Paul was warning Timothy to watch for me and avoid me. All his descriptions about the end of times man were me; “lover of self, without self-control, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God.” It seemed as if all the above applied. When I got my vertical relationship right, my horizontal relationships began to be right as well.
I want to share one more insight about Malachi 2, which is so applicable for today’s culture. Today’s liberal church and non-church culture are highly embracing of lifestyle choices which Adonai calls sin and is offended by. Malachi addresses the narrative of his day by saying, “When you say: ‘Everyone doing evil is good in the sight of Adonai, and He delights in them.’ Or, ‘Where is the God of justice?” These are huge issues with Adonai! We cannot afford to call evil good and good evil.”
Action: I choose to embrace the narrative of Adonai.
Yield: I acquiesce to the Sovereignty of Adonai.
Engage: I choose to engage with the Holy Spirit in exposing evil.
Relationship: I choose to live in holy, intimate, obedience with Adonai.
Prayer: Father, I embrace Your narrative. I hate divorce as You hate it. I choose to call evil, evil and expose it. You love people and hate sin. May I be and do the same. Amen.
Memory Verse: Isaiah 5:20 “Oy to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet, and sweet as bitter!” TLV
Music Video: City Harvest Church—Be With You https://youtu.be/feZ5fkLfyXE?si=UIk4EvGQU1dXPgfE
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!”