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1 "Look! I'm sending my messenger on ahead to clear the way for me. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Leader you've been looking for will enter his Temple - yes, the Messenger of the Covenant, the one you've been waiting for. Look! He's on his way!" A Message from the mouth of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. 2 But who will be able to stand up to that coming? Who can survive his appearance? He'll be like white-hot fire from the smelter's furnace. He'll be like the strongest lye soap at the laundry. 3 He'll take his place as a refiner of silver, as a cleanser of dirty clothes. He'll scrub the Levite priests clean, refine them like gold and silver, until they're fit for God, fit to present offerings of righteousness. 4 Then, and only then, will Judah and Jerusalem be fit and pleasing to God, as they used to be in the years long ago. (Malachi 3:1-4 The Message Bible)
A gracious and blessed Thursday dear ConCafe Family. May the joy of the Lord bless your day in wondrous ways, Friend. Dear friends, I ask for prayers for Mr. Rob Rocha of Duncanville, TX, who is in the hosptial with some serious medical issues. Pray for Rob's comfort and peace; pray also for his wife, Pauline and his children and grandchildren. Please pray for each other, lift up your needs before the Lord in full faith that He will answer you.
Any big event or project is best carried out when planned properly. Very few things, if any, just fall into place on their own. Those of us old enough to remember Billy Graham and his crusades know that Billy preached in almost every major city in the world. These meetings did not just happen with Billy announcing that in two weeks he would be in Sydney, Australia. It took years of planning and preparations that involved as many of the churches in the city that wanted to participate, not to mention the financial commitment that each church and different sections of the community would share to help underwrite the arrival of such a major preacher. Prayer meetings would be held, trainings for volunteer ushers, prayer partners, follow-up contact people and an endless list of other obligations that had to be arranged, all for the sake of bringing a wonderful preacher to a city in hopes of bringing change, revival, and conversions to an area that desperately needed such. And for all the money that was collected for such an evangelistic crusade, Billy was famous for only receiving $25,000 yearly salary for many years. I dare not compare that to what televangelists collect and amass.
An undertaking to receive the Son of God is beyond comprehension. So many things and obstacles were in place, and had been for years, to oppose the work of God. Think of the doubt, the anger, the hatred, resentment, and so many other things that woulld stand opposite the good that God could bring. The shadow of Satan has closely followed the blazing light of God from the beginning of time. Though we know Satan to be a defeated enemy, he nonetheless, believes he can rewrite the ending he knows is coming. The delight of decades were his, when prophets and other servants of God suffered torture, torment, and even death; and he would fight tooth and nail to oppose anything or anyone who would dare bring about anything different.
It is in the closing book of the Old Testament that we find the words of this passage, from God, to God's people. God is sending a messenger with the purpose of clearing the way for God, and God's Son. It would seem like it was "Suddenly, out of the blue," that "The Leader" would "enter HIs temple, bringing with Him the Message of the Covenant, for which the people had been wanting and wishing for, and the word was that "He's on His way!" His very appearance would be more than the people could humanly stand to view; His very appearance would be a glimpse into Glory, which is holiness and purity. His responsibility would be to serve as a refiner of silver, and a cleanser of dirty clohes; and his task would be to clean those who should have been clean to begin with; making them "fit for God," and fit for doing what they should have been doing out of rightesouness instead of power and prestige. It would be once those religious leaders were clean that both Judah and Jerusalem, would "be fit and pleasing to God, as they were in the years long ago."
As we continue our Advent journey, may we be open and honest with ourselves about where we stand, and where we should stand, and may our preparations guide us to faithfulness and fruitfulness.
PRAYER: Loving God, bless us with Your joy and peace; may our journey through Advent bring us Christmas hope and joy; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show someone the joy of Advent peace today.
Receive my blessings of joy and hope,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
