Malachi 1:1-5 Romans 9: 13 Isaiah 34:2–15 Isaiah 63:1–6 Jerimiah 49:7–22 Obadiah 21 Isaiah 60
An oracle: The Word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.
I love you, says the LORD; but you say, “How do you love us?”
How many times in our lives do we sit back and say,
“Lord, I love you so much. I would do anything for you,”
in between our pleas and cries for help.
The Lord always responds back with
“I love you too.”
But, this is where the hold up is most times, we fail to see that part. Most times we are sitting there questioning how the Lord is loving us, how He is answering our prayers. Yet, most of us are sitting, no matter what our situation is, with shelter, clothes on our body, food in our bellies and internet (to read this post!). We are so privileged! Don’t believe that that is the Lord saying,
“I love you.”
Walk out your front door, look around, take a breath, look at the hills/mountains/grass/flowers-whatever is out your front door. The intricate beauty that the oxygen let off from those plants around you is the air that you breath in,in order to keep you alive…know that well thought out plan, that is the true definition of
“I love you.”
If Edom says,
“We have been crushed, but we will rebuild the ruins,”
Thus says the LORD of hosts: They indeed may build, but I will tear down,
And they shall be called
“territory of wickedness,”
the people with whom the LORD is angry forever. Your own eyes will see it, and you will say,
“Great is the LORD, even beyond the territory of Israel.”
So indeed, through this beauty that we see all around us there is definitely some deceit, some ruin, some destruction and evil. So many times, we come across places that many get lost in, places that many think the Lord is telling them to invest in and to build up His church in those places. Yet, in reality, those are the “territory of wickedness” those are the places that the Lord will destroy and crush so that we can build the true places of worship. Jesus asked Peter to rebuild His church, and we are asked to do that every single day as we were baptized priest, prophet and king. So in the realms of destruction, deceit around us, we are called to build up the domestic church.
Without truth the church fails. Without truth the church will crumble. Without truth there is no foundation in which the ‘church’ can be built upon.
Okay, I know, back up for a minute. We have beauty, love, faith and truth amongst a lot of other things in this. How do we connect it all together? That beauty shows us just how much the Lord truly loves us. When we see that love- we have faith and therefore see the truth. So today, my challenge for you- are you going to see how the Lord is trying to say,
“I love you,”
or are you going to question the ways he continuously is showing his love for you and asking you to help him build his church.
In what ways do you see the Lord saying,
“I love you today?”
