God's Best & My Best in 2011
Most of what I share in my blog postings, and many of the messages I deliver, come from this daily Bible reading. There is something special about pre-planned Scripture readings that God can use to bless and inspire you on the day it is read. BibleGateway is neither my sole source of Bible reading, nor is it my only source of insight and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Honestly, I don't do the reading every single day. I am about "90% faithful" in this regard.
Today as I read, while praying and considering God's direction for myself and our ministry in 2011, the Spirit of the Lord used today's reading from the Book of Malachi in a mighty way!
One of the keys that God is giving to our congregation, New Covenant Church, to the larger Body of Christ, and to me is summarized by the simple statement: "God's Best in 2011!"
This statement is not intended as hype or some catchy phrase. I believe this statement captures the sense of what God was saying through Malachi to His people.
When I read the whole book and considered God's words to the people, I was deeply impressed with this thought, "I want to give God my best because God gives His best."
Rather than expound on this book in this brief blog post, I invite you to read Malachi for yourself (Here is a link). I may offer my insights in coming days, but you should read this text for your own understanding and blessing.
The four chapters reveal God's heart towards His people. God makes statements and the people ask questions as if they didn't understand or know God as they should have. These exchanges seem to reflect conditions of the human heart that continue to this day.
What God expected from His people, and the blessing He wanted to release to them, was found in the single, powerful idea of, "Nothing but the best."
Today, as people redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God, our Savior Jesus Christ, we know that God gave us His best!
We are in a different biblical season than Israel of old, but God's nature has not changed. He always expects the best.
Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ 7 “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty.
The last words of the Bible on the last day of my readings for 2010 reveals the source of God's best for you and me: Revelation 22:21, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen."
By God's grace, nothing but the best in 2011!
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