Monday: Malachi 4:1 (NLT)1 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.
- This chapter is wildly harsh. It is a tough pill to swallow and throughout the rest of the week it doesn’t get much better. That is because God will not speak through a prophet again until John the Baptist. Taking this into consideration where do you need to work or your arrogance as not to fall into the trap of being out of God’s favor? Where are your wicked edges? In what way do these things allow for evil to slip easily into your life?
Tuesday: Malachi 4:2 (NLT)2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture
- Have you ever seen calves play in the pasture or a foal just out of the stall? It is a wonderfully awkward and joyful sight. What do you do with the freedom that God grants you? Do you dance wildly or head straight for trouble?
Wednesday: Malachi 4:3 (NLT) 3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
- Choosing the right path is not easy. This is made harder by the fact that it seems like so many people choose the wrong path and they prosper. Does that ever frustrate you? Here is a reminder that God is a God of justice and that we will all encounter this justice. With this, in what ways does it make sharing the Good News about God more important to those you care about?
Thursday: Malachi 4:4 (NLT)4 “Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant—all the decrees and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai for all Israel.
- In the previous chapter 3:6 we saw that God reminds us that God is unchanging. Therefore the law continues to be important. It both shows us how to live and convicts us of our shortcomings because if we are honest we all know we have failed to wholeheartedly follow the law. In what ways have you been reminded that you need to rely on God’s grace to get by rather than your own personal ability?
Friday: Malachi 4:5 (NLT)5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives.
- This could have been John the Baptist. I wonder how many people wrote him off as a crazy guy because of what he looked like or where he lived? If they did they missed the message of the coming of Christ. What groups or people in your life do you know you should be more attentive to so that you don’t miss out on what God is calling you to?
Saturday: Malachi 4:6 (NLT)His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
- If you remember throughout the book of Malachi God speaks of cursing multiple generations. This is because one generation would pass down lax teaching and practice to the next. I am willing to bet that if the teenagers Malachi encountered were like today’s there were times that they didn’t want to go and learn dad’s trade. So the words that would unite father and son would also be the bond for the son longing to learn and the father seeing the importance of living a legacy with his son. Who might you need to approach with a student’s heart in order to learn from them? Who have you been entrusted with teaching?