On That Day

Devotion by: Anonymous

Malachi 3:1-4; 4:5-6

³See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ²But 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 fullers’ soap; ³he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.^{* 4}Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

⁵ Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. ⁶He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.

While the name “Malachi” means “my message”, it is not known if it was the name of a real prophet; however, it is an appropriately named Book of the Bible . . . for it contains very important messages from God. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. Prophets foretold this. It appears in Malachi 3:1 that the messenger could be John the Baptist or the Lord himself. My Bible notes that if this messenger is the Living God, it is the only place in the Bible where God speaks of Himself this way. God is confronting His people in person. May God prepare your heart today.

As we prepare for Christmas, the religious holiday known and celebrated around the modern world as a day of gift giving, let us, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior, who gave us the greatest gift, His love, eternal and everlasting and let us prepare our hearts with love for God and our world. De-stress by putting the focus on righteousness, which is right-relatedness. Put your gift-buying efforts into building the right relationships: with God, your loved ones, your co-workers, your fellow human beings, as we are all children of God.

That last-minute gift may best be purchased and given with your love, not your money and a sense of obligation. A hug or words of love and appreciation are everlasting when compared to the hurt caused by a stressed out, bad-behaving loved one, especially toward a family member or sensitive stranger. Drop the ‘go out and buy plan’ because every day we should be thinking of Our Judgment Day, when we come face to face with God. Other suggestions of gifts: bring someone to church and give them one of our free gift Bibles. Two years ago, Jane Cooper gave me “Simplify Your Christmas” by Elaine St. James, which is a great read. And remember the gift of . . . a pure heart. What gifts of righteousness will we have to bring on That Day?

Prayer: Dear God, help me to give a simple gift of love to all whom I meet today. Direct me from sin and open my heart to your will. Keep me focused on your greatest gift to us, your Son Jesus, born in humble circumstances, who taught us to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.