Coffee With The Lord

“The Day of the Lord” … Just read about it in my Bible this morning!
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed!” (2 Peter 3:10)
The question that comes to mind, in light of that, is what should be the response of God’s people? Well, Apostle Peter was pretty clear about that…
Evangelism! “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient… not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance… Count the patience of our Lord as salvation!” (vss. 9 and 15)
Holy living! “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” (vss. 11-12)
Hopefulness! “But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells!” (vs. 13)
Diligent discipleship! “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
Care not to be deceived! “Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” (vs. 17)
Grow in God’s grace and your knowledge of Him! “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!”
Just a few personal priorities in light of the end of all things and the coming of the Lord to establish His eternal kingdom! “To Him be the lorry both now and to the day of eternity! Amen!!” (From 2 Peter 3:8-18 ESV)

I believe that one of these days the Lord will return just as the angels said to the apostles as He ascended into heaven… “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven!” (Acts 1:11) In Scripture that is called “the Blessed Hope!” (“Our blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ!” Titus 2:13)

I was impressed this morning as I read Apostle John’s description of the event in Revelation 1:7… The immediacy of it! It’s described in the Greek language as though He were actually seeing it happen before his very eyes… (I’ll try to capture it with the way I translate it)… “Look! (Behold!) He is coming with the clouds! (cp. Acts 1:9-10) Every eye will see Him – even those who pierced (crucified) Him! And all the people of the earth will wail because of His coming! (cp. Daniel 7:13-14 and Zechariah 12:10) This WILL come to pass! Amen!” (my translation)

That’s why I believe Apostle John said, “Blessed is the one who reads the word of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it, and who keep (take to heart and act upon) what is written in it… The time is near!”

I want to live my daily life with a keen sense of that immediacy! I want to be ready when He returns in the clouds! “Amen! Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

Ever take a picture and accidentally focus on the wrong thing? … Perhaps a leaf, or a stick… something that was in the range of sight, but not the main thing – the thing that really was the intended object of focus. When that happens, the main object is still in the range of sight, but it is slightly out of focus and the photograph isn’t as satisfying or effective as it should have been.

I think that sometimes happens when we read Malachi 3:6-15. We tend to make the passage focus on tithing… but it doesn’t – it focuses on something else (tithing is just the case study – the example – of the real issue, the real problem…

Now, let me quickly say that I believe in tithing – in fact, I practice it! I do NOT, however, practice tithing as “law” – I practice it worshipfully. It is a way I honor God and His claims upon my life! I believe the biblical principle (both Old and New Testament teaching) is that “the sacred portion” (in this case 10%) sanctifies the whole (the 90%). Therefore I offer the 10% to God worshipfully as a witness and declaration of His sovereignty in every aspect of my life… over everything I am, own, possess and gain.

Having said that, let me return to the issue… The main thing – the issue in Malachi 3:6-15 was NOT tithing! It was the fact that God’s people Israel had strayed from the Lord in their heart and lives! Their forefathers had gone astray – and in Malachi’s time they also had gone astray! They were guilty of saying, “It doesn’t pay to serve the Lord!” (And they were acting like it as well!) Their failure to tithe was simply the SYMPTOM of the real problem!

Here’s how the prophet Malachi expressed it…

“I the Lord do not change! Therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts! But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions… Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (or room for it)! I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God.’”

The problem? They had strayed far from God. A symptom of the problem? They no longer honored God with the tithe! They said it didn’t pay to serve God! They had slipped into pattern of life in which they only lived for themselves! God was saying… “Return to Me!

The challenge of this passage? I want to put God first in my life! If I’ll obey His word, do His will and honor Him in everything just see what He will do… consider what will happen… “I will open the windows of heaven or you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (or room to contain it)!” Gotta tell you… I want to focus on the main thing… serving God with all my heart!