Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

Joyful Expectation of Christ's Coming


Mathew Lukose
Epiphany MTC, NY

17 They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them. 


In today’s bible portion, we see reference to the first and second coming of Christ: God has fixed the day of both. Through Jesus Christ, the Son of Righteousness, believers are justified and sanctified. His sacrifice on the cross render the sinner holy, joyful and fruitful.

In the book of Malachi we can follow two kinds of people: (a) Godly and (b) Ungodly (Mal 3:16). God will watch out for His own, and the faithful will be joined with Him. Now let us look at some of the characteristics of the Godly people.

  1. Fear the Lord: They hold God in awe and worship Him as Lord Almighty. They have a healthy respect for God, and fear to displease Him.
  2. Fellowship: (vs 16a) Godly people have fellowship with each other. They meet together not to complain or gossip, but to encourage and edify each other. Godly people get together for worship and fellowship;
  3. Meditate on the Lord: (vs 16b) Faithful take time each day to meditate, think and reflect upon the Lord, His Grace, goodness, Love, and His mercy;
  4. Serve the Lord:  The last part of verse 18 gives us a description of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are the ones who serve God. Do you serve God?
  5. Love the Lord: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all with your mind and with all your strength”. (Mark 12:30)
When we travel on a road, the most important questions are: where will this road take me? What is the ultimate destination? Well, you can walk with the ungodly of this world and follow them. That seems to be a well- traveled road.  But when we look at Mal 4:1 we can see that “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evil doer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. Based on the description of the righteous here in Malachi, can you truthfully say that you are with the Godly?  

PRAYER

Oh Lord, help us to evaluate our life and prepare ourselves for your promised arrival. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Are you expecting the joyful arrival of our Savior?

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more