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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Thirsting for God,

This last week I searched through the bible for a bood to read and happened across Malachi and just felt like it was the right one. It is a short book which allowed me to read the enire book on every lunch break this week so needless to say I read it 6-7 times this week. A side note, even when reading alone I found that when i read it out loud I found more meaning than reading quietly had shown me, give it a try.

Malachi is full of the word of God: answering questions, making statements, giving guideance.

3:10 Gring all the thithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the Lord of Heaven's Armeis, "I will open the windos of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Tryit! Put me to the test!

Malachi shouted at me that doing what God wants us to do and wanting to do it is key. Let me explain: If your wife asks you to do the dishes and you get up and do them sit down without any complaints and wait for your reward. Other option, your wife asks you to do the dishes, you complain, slowly go over to the sink, wash the dishes but bang them around making lots of noise so everyone sees and hears you doing the dishes, then you finish and go up to your wife and say, "the dishes are done, where is the reward you promised me?"

God has asked us to do things in life and he expects us to do them not because he tells us to but because we know he wants us to do them and it makes him happy for us to do them. That is where I have stumbled and I feel many have as well. We know God wants us to tithe, he tells us to test him in this and that if we do he will reward us. But we can't tithe next sunday, then go to the AM/PM buy a lottery ticket and say, "God, I tithed just like you asked now I expect to win a jackpot." When we give because we want to he will reward us in the way he sees fit to reward us.

Last Sunday, I was at the shop with Weston and another kid came in while Weston was eating a bag of Doritos. Without me saying a thing, Weston runs up to me and says, "Daddy, I'm going to share my chips, ok" and then he ran over to the boy and asked him if he wanted chips. I didn't ask him to share but he knows that I expect him to share and he was happy to do it all on his own. I could tell that it made Weston happy to be sharing too and I believe that is how God views us. He has asked us to do things and He expects us to do them because we want to.

Other key things that jumped out at me while reading:

2:6 ... They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from sin. The key here is walking with God, as only while we are with Him can we hear his voice and do what he wishes us to do.

3:5 ... "I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adluterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me," says the Lord of Heavens Armies. I love how God says he is eager to witness against those who sin, that should strike fear into those who don't have a healthy fear of God and the power he has.

3:17-18 ... "On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." Again, its not all about being good people, it is about serving God... being with God like a child to his parent.


Questions I am working on answering that have been developed from this reading and previous reading this month:

Do you have a heathly fear of God?
Do you show God contempt through your offerings and empty promises?
Do you walk with God.