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Today is Wednesday September 30, 2009 and we are studying the book of Malachi, please read chapters 1-4 in your Bible or Click Here to read them. http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-september-30

Today's Message: Right Relationship With God
One lesson learned from the Old Testament is that religion alone leads to sin and spiritual death, but a right relationship with God brings eternal life.

The book of Malachi is the thirty-ninth book of the Old Testament/Bible and the final book of the Old Testament and contains four chapters. The author of the book is Malachi and it was written to Israel. The purpose of the book was to call the nation to repentance and return to righteousness in order to restore the nation. What we are to learn for the book is that It is not enough to repent, we must also take action if we want God to forgive us and restore our relationship with Him. God is a loving and forgiving God, but if we are not sincere in asking Him to forgive us and will not do anything to change our ways, He is not going to forgive us.

The first generation of Israelite's that returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple had died, and with no direction or instruction to the new generations the people had lost sight of God and really had no idea what purpose God had for them as His people. Many had developed an attitude of religious formality toward God. This easily lead to the toleration of evil, including witchcraft and sorcery, even in the Temple. Through Malachi, God addresses the people, “I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever. And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel. A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.” - Malachi 1:2-7. The people are complaining to God because they feel that He is not there for all His people, including the Edomite's (descendants of Esau). God is telling them that His hate was not toward them, but toward Esau who hated Him, but He will not tolerate their wickedness, they have dishonored Him, polluted the Temple, and lived wicked lives and that is why He continues to destroy what they try to build. God is not only talking about the Israel here, but addressing all nations. Look at the state of the United States today, the economy is dreadful, so many people are depressed and or having all sorts of health problems, the entire nation is in debt, and we are vastly approaching war in our own homeland. Think this is all a coincidence? The more our nation falls away from God the worse it will get.

Malachi declared that God may not always be fully understood, but He is questioned only by those who reject or neglect His Word, “And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart............For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.” - Malachi 2:1,2,7-9. God is addressing the priesthood, the religious leaders, whom are men of God as well as those whom are spiritual priests (teachers, missionaries, prophets, etc.) They have kept His Word hidden and created their own ideas of what it means instead of letting the people read and learn of it for themselves. People look to them for guidance and direction, but only get deceived because they are telling lies. Any person who speaks of God's Word is an example and an image of God, when we give false information and do not let others have access to His Word so it can be proven, we are setting a bad example and making a mockery out of God.

As I said yesterday, religion is the biggest fall of Christ and can literally mean a matter of life and death. Sadly, every day people are dying and going to hell because they have been deceived by false doctrine from someone claiming to be a man of God. We need to seriously consider where we choose to worship God, if the priest, preacher, teacher, or any other person representing God's Word is not getting their doctrine from the true Word of God than you need to get out of there. A true church is based and authored by the Bible and allows one to read and learn it for themselves. The more you read all the Bible the more you become the person God wants you to be. “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.” - Titus 2:1-8.

Today's Prayer:
Dear God,
Lord, You began a good work in me the moment of my conception when You created me in Your own image. Incredibly, You choose to reflect Your divine Being through my thoughts, attitudes, and actions though I am numbered among the “frail children of dust.” I place my trust in You and have found that You never fail. You never give up or abandon the work You started in my life, but Your tender mercies and divine plan continue to break me, mold me, and shape me into Your image. The process will not be completed until the day Christ calls us home. Thank You, Father, for being my Lord, Maker, Defender, Redeemer and my Friend. In Jesus' Name.......Amen,

Have a wonderful and blessed day/night and enjoy the rest of your week.
God Bless You,
Christina

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