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Click on the World to go to our International page! |
 Previous issues are located in The Archive |
June, 2005 |
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CONSIDER
HIM… |
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Sacrifices
of Love Our
Man Malachi We
Covenant Keepers tend to really appreciate the prophet Malachi. Every
month we see his words emblazoned across the front of Covenant Comments,
“the Lord was witness to the
covenant made at your marriage.” (Mal. 2:14) It was Malachi who
recorded God’s emphatic declaration, “‘For
I hate divorce!’ says the Lord,
the God of Israel.” (2:16) How could you not love a guy who
confronts the backslider, the faithless, the compromiser? He tells it like
it is! His words reassure us that God really
has taken up our cause! As
I was recently reading Malachi, I saw what an uncompromising message he
preached. He accuses the priests of despising God’s name. He confronts
the people regarding their contemptible sacrifices. He points his finger
at husbands who have broken faith with their wives and children. He tells
the people to their faces that they’re cheaters and robbers. Imagine how
unpopular he must have been with his contemporaries. The faces of pastors,
acquaintances and spouses may spring to our minds as we say, “Amen,
Malachi!” Oh, how we wish God would raise up a Malachi to confront
our generation. Yet
as I read the many questions asked by Malachi, God began to speak to me
about our own hearts, attitudes and actions. It’s so easy to point out
that speck in someone else’s eye! Let’s ask God to speak to us about
areas in our own hearts that He may want to deal with. Question
#1 “I
have loved you deeply,” says the Lord.
But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” (1:2) Ever
experienced the “poor, poor, pitiful me” syndrome? You know, felt
sorry for yourself because things weren’t going well, because nobody
understood or they’d all abandoned you. If we’re honest, we’ve all
been there. Malachi’s first statement is a truth declared by God Himself
and the people’s negative response. What they were really saying was,
“What have you done for us lately?” God
never changes, His
love never ceases, His mercies ever endure, His faithfulness goes on and
on. Yet like the Israelites we may ask what has He done for me lately? We
all go through seasons where it feels like God’s abandoned us, when the
heavens are brass and our prayers seem unheard. Sometimes God is testing
our faith (I Peter 1:7), sometimes He’s waiting for the perfect moment (Hab.
2:3) and sometimes there’s spiritual cholesterol, blockage
of the heart! The problem isn’t with the heart of the One who gives
love, rather it may be with the heart of the one being loved. God is
faithful and always present and active, whether you feel it, see it or
not. Question
#2 “I
am your father and master, but where are the honor and respect I deserve?
You have despised my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever despised
your name?’”
(1:6) I
imagine we feel pretty safe on this issue. After all, when have we ever
despised the Lord’s name? I
read an article providing some great insight into this passage. The writer
reminded us that Biblical names
were generally descriptive in nature. Abraham means ”father of many”
and reinforced God’s plan for him. Jacob literally meant “he grasps
the heal” but figuratively implied “he deceives.” His life reflected
this characteristic. Jesus gave Simon a name that prophetically declared
his destiny, Peter, “the rock” upon which the church would be built. A
person’s name provided insight into elements of the persons' destiny,
behavior or character. Let’s
change a word and read that verse again, “I am your father and master, but where are the honor and respect I
deserve? You have despised my character!
“But you ask, ‘How have we ever despised your character?’” Have
you ever said that you can’t go on any longer? That’s a denial of
God’s ability to strengthen you (give you grace) to endure every
trial. Ever thought that God couldn’t change your mate? That statement
is idolatry since you’ve placed more faith in your mate’s
stubbornness, addictions, etc. than in the power of the Lord to change
them. That’s discounting and dishonoring His character. Let’s list
some of God’s characteristics: God is love, holy, righteous, forgiving,
slow to anger, He’s everywhere at once, He sees and knows everything,
He’s just yet merciful, faithful, creative, all-powerful, has a name
above every other. The list goes on. They’re not only what He does,
they’re who He is! We
need new understanding about God’s character. We might see a person
doing a good deed and say, “There’s a kind and thoughtful person.”
We’d even say that one of their characteristics
is kindness. But that same person, in a moment of anger, may turn around
and say something hurtful. This inconsistency reveals a flawed character.
We mustn’t attribute human
shortcomings to God or personify Him by thinking He is inconsistent as we
are. God never changes! His characteristics are actually part of His
nature, part of His very being. Let’s
take faithfulness as an example. A person can exhibit faithful actions one
minute and then betray someone the next. God CAN’T
do that. He doesn’t make a choice to be faithful, He isn’t faithful in
deed alone, God IS
faithfulness. Do you get it? God doesn’t merely show love, God IS love. Look up “love” in the dictionary and there ought
to be a picture of God because He alone is perfect
love. Consider God’s characteristics by what He does and you will see who God is. This reveals His heart and the motivations
behind His actions. Don’t doubt His character, it is always pure and
holy and good. “We
distrust the providence of God when, after we have used all our best
endeavors and begged His blessing upon them, we torment ourselves about
the wise issue and event of them.”
John Tillotson (1630-1694) “But
you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food (sacrifices),
you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. You say,
‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at his commands,” says
the Lord Almighty.
(1:12-13) The
Israelites were bringing imperfect (blind, crippled, diseased) animals to
the altar of God, showing lack of respect and honor. There’s no doubt
that those standing for the restoration of their marriages are called to
sacrifice, but is our sacrifice blemished? Do we hope with selfish
motives, do we conceal bitterness, do we dishonor our spouses (made in
God’s image) by words or actions, do we grumble about how long it’s
taking? Are you tempted to say, “This is too hard” and turn
up your nose at what God has
told you to do? Question
#3 You
have wearied the Lord with
your words. “Wearied him?” you ask. “How have we wearied him?” You
have wearied him by suggesting that the Lord
favors evildoers since he does not punish them. You have wearied him by
asking, “Where is the God of justice?
(2:17) For
a season it can appear that those walking in sin enjoy the trip. It’s
true that sin provides gratification for a season but the Word tells us
this season will ultimately end in destruction. Our spouses may be out in
the world, in sin, and we might ask why God allows it to go on and on. Why
doesn’t He punish them to get their attention or punish the person
they’re involved with to get them out of the picture? Perhaps it’s
because His mercy and patience will lead them to repentance. Possibly
He’s allowing time for their sin to manifest consequences that will
bring them to their senses. Or maybe He’s waiting for you to prepare your
heart for reconciliation! Accept that God is in control, that He has a
plan and it may unfolding out of our sight. Don’t weary Him by suggesting He is ignoring what’s happening. Question
#4 Now
return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord
Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone
away?’ (3:7) The
final question is probably the most critical. God promises blessings if
the people would only repent of the sins He’s exposed, yet they say,
“Who, us? There’s nothing wrong with us.” This indicates one of two
conditions; pride or deception. Pride
denies the truth by saying I’m in control, I know best, my sin isn’t that bad. It’s easy for pride to creep in as we stand. People may
look at us and say, “You have so much faith“ or “You’re so noble
to wait for that faithless mate of yours.” And we get a bit puffed up
and start believing the press reports. Don’t forget that all
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Sin isn’t scored
on a relative scale: white lies = 2 points, gossiping = 8 points, adultery
= 1,390 points. We are held accountable for our
own sin, small or big, period. Deception,
by its nature, can’t see the truth. A deceived person doesn’t know
that they’re deceived. As soon as they see, they’re no longer
deceived. It is a spiritual blindness that only revelation can break. Pray
and ask God to show you areas where you may be deceived, as well as your
mate. Malachi
confronted sin so that the people might receive God’s mercy, forgiveness
and blessing. Read his final words, 3:16 - 4:6, to see the promises God
has for those who fear, obey and love Him. And here’s a few more of
God’s characteristics that we can trust: Savior, redeemer, resurrector,
restorer. (All
scriptures quoted from the New Living Translation) |
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Special Prayer Note As some of you know, Covenant Keeper’s Office Manager was rushed to hospital in mid-May. He underwent 4 operations over the next 10 days, and remains in stable but serious condition. The doctors are optimistic, but anticipate a lengthy rehabilitation. We ask your prayers on behalf of Jim and his family. We also ask your patience should you contact the office or place an order. Obviously, this medical emergency has had a significant impact on many of the functions at our head office. |
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Marriages Will Thrive in 2005! |
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Crowne Plaza Hotel 
