Who Wrote It? Rev. Scott DeVries on "Malachi: Our Heavenly Father Loves Us"

 >Introducing Rev. Scott DeVries on "Malachi: Our Heavenly Father Loves Us"

Josh DeGroot – Welcome to todaydevotional.com’s Who Wrote It, where we get to know our Today authors better and understand the inspiration behind their writing. Scott DeVries is on the line and we are talking about his writing for the month of May. Thanks, Scott, for coming on.

Scott DeVries – You are welcome. It is my pleasure.

Josh DeGroot – Now, the May Today focuses on the Old Testament book of Malachi, with the theme: Our Heavenly Father Loves Us. Admittedly, we haven’t spent much time in the book of Malachi; and it is my guess that many of our readers haven’t either. So, first and foremost, why the book of Malachi, and were you initially excited about this theme because you thought it would be something fresh to our readers?

Scott DeVries – Well, I started studying Malachi years ago. I was challenged to study some minor prophets and to preach on them, and I sat down one afternoon, read them all—the whole books of the minor prophets—and Malachi really just stuck with me and I felt called to study that one more, so I began preaching and teaching on that; and was just struck by God’s love as it radiated through Malachi, and as the people really struggled with it, and I think it really speaks to today’s issues with how do we see God’s love at work in our world today.

Josh DeGroot – A lot of this month’s devotions are really about preparation—being ready for Christ’s Second Coming. In your May 21 devotion, you have the line: Now is the time to have our hearts prepared. Can we truly be one hundred percent ready?

Scott DeVries – I don’t think we can be a hundred percent ready, but what we can do is we can be like a good boy scout and be prepared for anything. We need to know that Christ is coming, and he could come any moment; he could come in the middle of this interview; and are we ready to say: Yes, I want to be with him. I would rather do…whatever I am doing now, I would rather do it in heaven.

Josh DeGroot – Are there any Todays that you wrote that are especially meaningful for you and you would like to elaborate further?

Scott DeVries – The very first day really sets the tone for the whole book, and really needs to be kept in mind that the whole book is about God wanting to communicate: I have loved you. He has been loving his people in the past and he is continuing to love them right now, and that is true despite all the questions that they have about that.

Josh DeGroot – When the 1^st of June rolls around what do you want people to really remember from the May Today devotional?

Scott DeVries – I want them to remember God’s love, and that God’s love is a fatherly kind of love; not an earthly fatherly love, but a parental love in the sense that it is not just emotional—it is not just that God is always glowing about how we are doing, but that God is devoting his time and effort into our lives to help us with the problems of this world and to help us just grow and develop into the most beautiful and wonderful version of ourselves that we can be; and the most beautiful and wonderful versions of our communities that we can be; and I hope as people read through Malachi, they just constantly come back to that theme that God is using his love as a shaping, powerful influence on our lives.

Josh DeGroot – Well, Scott, I appreciate it, and we appreciate the writing. We really enjoyed it and we cannot wait for our readers to read your words come this May. So, we appreciate the time.

Scott DeVries – Great; thank you so much, and it was a great opportunity, and really my pleasure to help out in any way.

Josh DeGroot – He is Scott DeVries; he has written the May Today devotional. You can check out his writing at todaydevotional.com.  I am Josh DeGroot. Together let’s refresh, refocus, renew at todaydevotional.com.