Be Intentional In The Reverence Of God
Malachi 2:1-16 and Psalm 53 (NIV)
(Josephine Loo, Chairperson, Property Management)
READ:
Malachi 2:1-16 and Psalm 53 (NIV)
Malachi 2:1-2 – 1“And now, you priests, this warning is for you. 2If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honour my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honour me.
Malachi 2:3-6 – 3Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. 4And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. 5“My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.
Malachi 2:7-9 – 7 For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. 8But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty. 9“So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”
Psalm 53:1-4 – 1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. 2God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 4Do all these evildoers know nothing?
OBSERVE:
The 2 passages in Malachi 2 and Psalm 53 are similar in the sense that warnings were issued to those who did not recognise God as their Lord. In Malachi 2, God warned that the punishment would be issued to priests and teachers of the law who turned from the way and cause others to also stumble because of their teachings. God went on further to emphasise that their offsprings will also be punished for their sins. In Psalms 53, the reference to fools who say that “there is no God” can be interpreted to mean that there is no respect for law and order, no self-control and no morals and no regards to God’s creations.
In Psalm 53, the song ends with the reassurance that God will restore the fortunes of his people and salvation will come for Israel.
APPLY:
In the current sermon series where we explore Spiritual Disciplines to train the spiritual soul, it is the intentional practice of keeping God’s word that will remind us that God is in control. The yielding and persevering to keep God’s word helps us to experience the reign of Christ, through the Holy Spirit who guides us to repentance and reliance on God, and helps us to experience the entire sanctification. Over time, the grace and peace of God provides the way for us to recognise temptations, avoid sins and keep us pure and renewed to walk in love and holiness with Christ.
DO:
Surrender my innermost secrets and idols to God and be free from them eternally. Place my trust in Him and be patient as only In our daily lives, there are many temptations and competing distractions around us that cause us to fall off the straight and narrow path that leads to God. To stay on course, firstly, it is through being intentional to set time aside and keep to reading God’s words daily and spending some quiet time to do self-reflection in the presence of the Holy Spirit, that will lead us to understand God’s teachings and experience his peace. Secondly, the willingness to follow through will see us open ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit who will help us to exercise what God leads us to do, such as exercising self-control over temptations that draw us away from God and service to others as an edifying example to show God’s love, etc.he world.
PRAY:
Abba Father, you are indeed kind and merciful! We thank you and praise you for your unending love and patience towards us, dHeavenly Father, my beloved God, thank You for Your amazing grace through Your precious Son and the ever-present Spirit Dear Heavenly Father, in the many roles that I undertake, as a wife, mother, a co-worker to a colleague, a fellow small group member in church, a daughter, I give thanks for the many opportunities given and the responsibilities I have in each of these roles. With the many roles to play and competing distractions around, I pray that I will always remember to set aside time to seek you and practise the self-examination. In your grace and with the leading of the Holy Spirit, may I learn to walk the straight and narrow path that will eventually lead me to your Heavenly gate. Impress upon me to always put God first. Purify my heart and thoughts such that I will worship you perfectly. As imperfect as I may be, teach me to focus on your perfect love, and to discern right from wrong. May your Spirit be around me to guide me, test me. Send your angels to protect and help me and I pray that your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
