My treasured possession

My treasured possession

Scripture:

I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. Malachi 3:1-4

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.  I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe, ” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:10-11

“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him Malachi 3:17

Observation:

In the first Scripture, we see the prophecy concerning John the Baptist, the messenger who would prepare the way before the Lord. Later, John the Baptist prophesied about Jesus “He who comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” The purpose of the refining process is to burn away the impurities and bring forth pure silver and gold. The launderer’s soap also gives us the picture of cleansing. The process of refining could be painful, in the form of trials and suffering, but the end result is our mature character. The description of “offerings in righteousness” remind us of our Lord Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for us that we might receive His righteousness, for only by Jesus’ righteousness are we able to stand before God. As we walk with the Lord, we are also reminded that our good deeds done in faith are offerings of righteousness to the Lord.

The second Scripture speaks about the blessings attached to tithing. Some theologians say that tithing is not compulsory in the New Testament as the important thing is to give willingly as God loves a cheerful giver. However, there is an innate principle that the more we give to God, the more we will receive, as we simply can’t outgive God and God is no man’s debtor. One thing we may not realize is the preservation part of God’s blessing as mentioned in verse 11. We should not take for granted the tremendous blessedness of being free from major illness, robbery and accidents because the Lord’s protection is upon us.

The third Scripture shows the Lord’s love for those who serve Him, like a father’s love for his faithful son. In Christ, we are God’s treasured possessions, highly valued and precious. Therefore, we should never look down on ourselves or think we are failures in life because God really loves us so much!

Application:

Praise the Lord, for the joy of His prophecies that show us how He holds the future in His hands. Some of us may be undergoing trials. Pray for God to help us through this refining process and continue to lean on Him for strength. Know that giving to the Lord is never in vain, and remember to thank God for His providence and protection, for how He keeps trouble and sickness from us, even when we are not aware of it. Praise the Lord for His great love for us, that He loves us as His treasured possessions, highly valued and precious.

Prayer: Praise You, Heavenly Father, for the prophecies that show Your might and power. You hold all things in Your hands, and nothing happens apart from Your Heavenly will. Help us O Lord, in our trials and troubles. Thank You that You are always there for us. Give us strength O Lord, to overcome all that assail us, and still praise Your Holy name. Give me a generous and cheerful heart O Lord, as I give towards Your holy work in the land. Thank You for the providence and protection that You give me, even when I did not realize it. I thank You dear Lord that You love me as Your treasured possessions, in spite of all my faults and weaknesses. May Your name be praised forever, O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.