Author Archives: gonelikeashadowatevening

Bible, Cleansing, Confession, Defiled, Forgiveness, Repentance, Scripture

NOW THAT WILL STINK

MALACHI 2:3

“‘Behold, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it.’”

My uncle Hugh Lee was a pig farmer. He used to say you could eat everything on a pig except the squeal. He even meant the intestines which we know what is used for. To clean those was a smelly mess because you had to get rid of the fecal matter, the dung, before you washed them and cooked them. I have smelled a lot of these cooking. Let me tell you – I am not sure they got that clean.

The Lord tells the priests that He is going to take that fecal matter, the dung from the offerings, and spread it on their faces. This word for “dung” is used these two times in Malachi and the only other five times in reference to the instructions for making the sacrifices. So, these priests knew exactly what the Lord was talking about. Dung – stinky!

APPLICATION

I hate to ask if you have anything stinky in your life. Maybe you are hiding a secret sin that is starting to smell a little. Others are noticing. Your spouse may be questioning you. Your friends notice a change in you. Listen – sin stinks. It will come to light, sooner the later.

Moses told the tribes that wanted to stay on the west side of the Jordan in Numbers 32:23, “But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure that your sin will find you out.” When we sin, it is always against the Lord. I am reminded of Psalm 51:3-4a. “3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;”

Those sins, my sins, need to be cleaned out. So does yours. We all have those stinky things in our lives that need to be confessed. Join me today and bow before the Lord. Ask His forgiveness. Accept the cleansing that comes and watch that smell disappear.

Thank You, Lord, for cleansing me from all my sin. That cleansing comes with a disinfectant. Praise You!

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Accountability, Belief, Bible, Curses, Emotions, God's Will, Heart, Knowledge, Scripture

I KNOW YOUR HEART

MALACHI 2:2

“‘If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.’”

Unfortunately, I have had the bad experience of trying to help an employee in their work but knowing that they would not change. I had one employee in South Carolina like that. I gave her multiple opportunities to correct her behavior. Each time she promised to change, but I knew in my gut she wouldn’t. In the end I had to terminate her employment, never a fun thing.

The Lord begins verse 2 by warning the priests what will happen if they don’t listen and take to heart to give Him honor. But look how He ends that verse. He says, “because you are not taking it to heart.” The Lord knew them. He knew their heart. He knew they would not turn from their ways. So, the curse would come, and they would pay the price.

APPLICATION

1 Kings 8:39 tells us, “then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,” God knows our hearts as well as He knew the hearts of those rebellious priests in Malachi’s day. Actually, we are not much different.

Wow, that’s kind of harsh, Carl. Harsh, but true. We settle for the blemished offerings instead of offering God our best. We whine and complain about things if they don’t go our way. How are we any different if we don’t trust God’s heart. That’s the key, isn’t it? We have to trust His heart to lead us and guide us.

That can be a challenge sometime. God can lead us to do something that we do not want to do. Or He may lead us to just wait. That’s even harder. Proverbs 21:2 reminds us, “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.” Don’t trust your ways, trust God’s. It’s always right.

O God, I praise You for knowing all things, including my heart.

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Accountability, Bible, Calling, Commands, God's Will, Holiness, Integrity, Judgment, Scripture

YOUR TURN

MALACHI 2:1

“‘And now, this commandment is for you, the priests.’”

Hearing the words that it is now your turn can be either delightful or terrifying. When the dentist says, “Okay, Mr. Willis, it’s your turn” I am a little terrified. I don’t like to go to the dentist. That’s nothing personal against the dentist. I just don’t like people in my mouth with power tools. And that whirring sound – now that is truly terrifying.

So, as we begin chapter two of Malachi, God is giving the priest a heads up. He says, “And now, it’s your turn, priests.” Actually, He says He has a commandment for them. We will see in the coming days what that is. (Hint, hint – it’s not good). Now, what is a commandment? Here, the better word would be “decree.” Listen up, priests.

APPLICATION

What is the Lord saying to us in this verse? Do you want to know what I found for me? God is calling me to attention. He is telling me to listen up, to pay attention, to do what He says. I know I am not a priest in the Old Testament sense of the word, but I  am a priest according to His word.

I Peter 2:9-10 calls us that. “9 But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

Are you listening, priests? Are you obeying all He has commanded? Are you leading well? Each of those is an important question that we must answer ourselves. If you are a believer, God has called you into His priesthood. Priests lead others to worship. Will you do that?

Father, I am blown away by your mercy. You have chosen me to be Your priest. Use me, Lord.

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Agreement, Attitude, Betrayal, Bible, Covenant, Deceit, Defiled, Offering, Scripture

THE OLE SWITCHAROO

MALACHI 1:14

“‘But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘and My name is feared among the nations.’”

I bet you have never done that, have you? You promised one thing, and at the last minute you switched it out for something of lesser quality. No, you wouldn’t do that, I am sure. But a lot of people do. There are a lot of swindlers out there. They will take you for a nickle. You had better watch out.

The Lord accuses the people of being swindlers. They switched out the appropriate sacrificial animal for one that was blemished. The Lord was outraged. He says, “I am a great King.” He deserves the best. He required the best. Nothing less would be accepted by Him.

ACCEPTABLE

Are you playing switcharoo with God? You promise one thing and deliver another. You say, “Oh God, I promise…” You fill in the blank. But then you get out of your predicament and decide to just go halfway with your promise. Something is better than nothing, right? Wrong! God demands your all, nothing less.

Deuteronomy 15:21 still applies to our offerings to God. “But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.” God still demands our best.

Psalm 96:4 tells us this about our God. “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.”  So, why are you offering God less? Why are you promising one thing but giving another? Whatever you vow to Him, give it. God will surely bless that. Be true to God. He is always true to you.

Father, I promise to give as I have promised. I promised you all of me. That is what I give.

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Bible, Blessing, Humility, Obedience, Scripture, Service, Submission, Works

THIS IS TOO MUCH WORK

MALACHI 1:13

“‘You also say, “See, how tiresome it is!” And you view it as trivial,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I accept it from your hand?’ says the LORD.”

I was blessed (yes, I said blessed) as a pre-teen and teenager to have some employers that were very demanding. I worked in the fields harvesting crops. I washed more cars than I could ever count at Walter Pollock and Sons. I hauled furniture for The Hand Trading company. All of these were very physically demanding. There were times I thought the work was too much. But I knew what my bosses expected, so I dug in and finished.

The Lord is accusing the priests in today’s verse of just whining and complaining. Truly, their work must have been tiring. They had to sacrifice all those animals, handle the blood and guts, burn it correctly and dispose of the ashes correctly. In Leviticus, God had laid out detailed instructions for offerings, and He expected the priests to follow them to the letter of the law.

APPLICATION

What is the “work” the Lord has called you to? Maybe you are called to serve full-time in ministry. You may be a doctor or lawyer. Perhaps you are a housewife and mom, struggling to manage the daily grind. Whatever it is, you can do this with the power of God in your life.

Are works necessary for a believer. Well James says this in James 2:20. “But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?” You really need to read more than just this one verse to understand what James in talking about. But obviously, he is telling us we need to do our work.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, “12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If   anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.” Your work isn’t too much. Enjoy it for Jesus.

Father, give me the strength to work for You and show joy in the process.

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Altars, Bible, Blessing, Forgiveness, God's Will, Justice, Sacrifice, Scripture

WHAT’S ON YOUR TABLE?

MALACHI 1:12

“But you are profaning it by your saying, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’

I love a full table. I still have dreams of spending Thanksgiving and Christmas at my Grandma Carter’s house out in the country. There would be an army of relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins) there. And, man, the food was incredible. My Grandma knew how to fill a table with good things for us. Not to mention, her chocolate pie with 3 inch meringue on top. Woo-Wee!

These priests, however, in today’s verse were setting the wrong kind of table. “Table” here referred to the altar where the sacrifices were made. They were allowing the people to present defiled or blemished sacrifices. After all, they priests still got their portion. We should be very careful what we set before the Lord.

APPLICATION

Our “tables” need to be set daily before the Lord. Yes, Jesus paid the ultimate price as the perfect sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath. But we still need to offer our “sacrifices” to Him. Look at Hebrews 3:15-16. “15 Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Our sacrifices don’t require us to slaughter a lamb. No, the Lamb of God has already been sacrificed for us on the cross. Now, it is our turn to offer ourselves to God. Romans 12:1 says it well. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

So, what’s on your table? What are you sacrificing to God today. He doesn’t want just a piece of you on that altar. He demands all of you. You belong to Him as His child. That is a good place to be. So, offer yourselves to Him today completely. It is indeed a sweet aroma in His nostrils.

I give my life to You today, O Lord. Here I am, all of me.

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Bible, Glory, Healing, Light, Praise, Rejoicing, Revelation, Scripture, Seeing, Sunrise, Sunset

SUNRISE TO SUNSET

MALACHI 1:11

“‘For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name shall be great among the nations, and in every place frankincense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name shall be great among the nations,’ says the LORD of armies.”

One thing I love about being outdoors is the opportunity to observe the sunrises and sunsets. I haven’t hunted much lately, but when I did, I loved watching the woods come alive at the first ray of light. In the evening, as the sun set, the woods would begin to go to sleep. Both times are marked by peace. We need more of that, amen?

If you read this verse today as an unbeliever, you might think the Lord is very arrogant. “My name shall be great.” “In every place…offered to My name.” “My name shall be great.” Wow! What an ego. Wrong! The Lord is the Lord of all. He is not bragging. He is simply stating the truth. He is reminding the people of this.

APPLICATION

When I read today’s verse, I immediately thought of a song that has been popular for a while. The lyrics come right out of Psalm 113. “3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised. 4 The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.”

When you see a sunrise or a sunset, what do you think about? Do you stop to extol the greatness of our God. Today’s verse and this Psalm tells us to do just that. I want to challenge you when you see your next sunrise to take a moment and lift a word of praise to Jesus. When you see the sun set, stop and thank the Lord for another day He has given you. He is worthy of all our praise.

I am planning a camping trip soon. Can’t wait. But now, based on this verse, I am even more excited. It will be easy to praise Him as I am enjoying the outdoors. Would you pray that I hear His voice while I am out there? I am seeking some direction right now in my ministry and need to hear His voice. I don’t want to get off track.

Your name is lifted high, O Lord, above the heavens. Both the rising and setting of the sun declares Your glory.

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Affection, Bible, Correction, Disappointment, Gifts, Giving, Guilt, Holy Spirit, Hypocrisy, Praise, Scripture, Worship

FORGET THE GIFT

MALACHI 1:10

“‘If only there were one among you who would shut the gates, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar for nothing! I am not pleased with you,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘nor will I accept an offering from your hand.’”

I have to admit something to you. I have given gifts out of guilt. Yep, I’ve done that. Don’t point your finger at me, though. I bet you have done the same thing. I have hurt people in the past, most of them unintentionally. So, what do I do? I try to find a way to make it up to them. That may involve a small gift of some sort. That is such hypocrisy, isn’t it?

The Lord speaks through Malachi in today’s verse and tells the priests, “nor will I accept an offering from your hand.” God doesn’t want gifts that are made half-heartedly. He wants us to come to Him with sincerity and purpose. God even hinted at even closing the doors of the temple to prevent them from offering sacrifices erroneously.

APPLICATION

Jeremiah 6:20 says something similar. “‘For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.’” This thought wasn’t exclusive to Malachi. All through Scripture God abhors false worship.

Carl, what’s all this talk about worship. Can’t we just restrict that Sundays? Are you kidding me? Worship is a daily event. We should be worshipping the Lord every day through praise, through thanksgiving and through listening for His voice. By the way that is PTL – Praise, Thanks, Listen. Try that today and see if you don’t worship.

This past Sunday at the church I attend, the worship service was truly Spirit-filled. I don’t mean we got Pentecostal (nothing wrong with that if it’s genuine). After all, we are Baptists, lol. But there were tears shed. There were hands raised. There were people standing up in their pews in celebration of praises going up through music. But I know my worship isn’t just on Sundays at my church. It’s every day.

I worship, O Mighty God, there is none like You.

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Attitude, Bible, Devout, Following, Heart, Purity, Scripture, Worship

SNOBBY WORSHIP

MALACHI 1:9

“’But now, do indeed plead for God’s favor, so that He will be gracious to us. With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?’ says the LORD of armies.”

Have you ever visited a church, and no one spoke to you? You walked in, and no one greeted you. Perhaps you even sat down, and someone gave you the stare that meant you were sitting in their seat. Everyone seemed to have their nose up in the air as if they belonged there and you didn’t. You know what I am talking about. They almost seemed to give off the impression that they were doing God a favor by being there.

That is exactly what the Lord is addressing in today’s verse. These priests totally ignored God’s commands. They did as they pleased in regards to worship. God should be pleased. After all, they were doing something. Something is better than nothing, right? Nope, it’s not, and they will find out soon enough.

APPLICATION

How do you ensure your worship is pure and holy? How do you present yourself before the Lord? I want my worship to be what He wants, not what I want. If you are like me, I have my own preconceived ideas about worship. I like this or I don’t like that. I want the choir to sing this song. I want the pastor to preach longer (come on now, who says that, lol).

We are told that “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” That’s John 4:24. What does that mean? Albert Barnes says this about that verse. “A pure, a holy, a spiritual worship, therefore, is such as he seeks – the offering of the soul rather than the formal offering of the body – the homage of the heart rather than that of the lips.”

Oh, to do that each and every time we enter into worship. Worship is about our heart attitude, not what we sing or preach. It’s a heart issue. So, is your heart right when you enter into worship? Are you bringing in unresolved grudges or ill will towards someone? If you are, confess that and get your heart right before worship. Then your heart will be what God desires.

Father, help me worship You in spirt and in truth. Let my heart cry out to You.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Commands, Gifts, Giving, Money, Scripture, Tithe, Treasures

BAD GIFTS

MALACHI 1:8

“‘And when you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not evil? Or when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not evil? So offer it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you, or would he receive you kindly?’ says the LORD of armies.”

I used to work for a ministry that had several thrift shops. These thrift shops operated solely on donated items. People can be very generous when they want to be. Occasionally, however, we received some “gifts” that weren’t so nice. Things like used underwear and used mattresses just can’t be sold. That meant we had to discard them. You would not believe the amount of things we simply had to throw away because they were not saleable.

Man, oh man! The Lord lets the priests have it in verse 8 today. He accuses them of presenting blind, lame and sick animals. These items were not even appropriate for their governor. Why would they think He would accept them? God had strict guidelines for what kind of animals could be presented as offerings to Him. Leviticus 22:22 told them, “Those that are blind, fractured, maimed, or have a wart, a festering rash, or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the LORD.”

APPLICATION

Now, you are probably saying, Carl, I am not offering animals to Jesus. You’re right, absolutely right. But let me ask you this. Are you offering your seconds to Him? God still requires us to offer our best, our first fruits to Him. What are you holding back? What are you saving for yourself that belongs to Him?

Romans 12:8 addresses New Testament giving. “or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Jesus demands more than the tithe. He demands it all. Sound selfish? Not at all, because He gives it all back to you many times over.

How about your time? Are you robbing God of that too? Carl, I’m just too tired on Sundays to go to church. God understands that. Carl, I really have to work today to make more money. Stop the excuses. Stop offering the bad gifts. Give it all to Him. He deserves your very best.

Father, I offer my all to You today. Take it and use it however You desire.

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