Turned Into Treasure
Scripture Reading — Malachi 3:16-18
Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. . . . “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession.”
Throughout the book of Malachi we have been reading about one insult against God after another. For some people this disrespect was deep in their hearts. But for others the disrespect came out of a distance from God that they didn’t really want. This latter group finally became convicted of their sins and turned back to God. And in an amazing display of grace, God accepted them back.
Then God went a step further. He not only accepted those who turned back to him; he showed them the mercy a good father shows to his children.
God’s treatment of the forgiven as treasured children is shown completely when, with his own Son, Jesus, on the cross, the Father accepts the perfect sacrifice of his one Son to cover the sins of all his adopted children. Truly our Father in heaven loves and values us far more than we can ask or imagine!
If you are feeling far from God, or if you know or suspect that you have been disrespectful to him, ask for his forgiveness. Ask him to bring you close, that you may know his grace and mercy in powerful ways.
If you have never known his love, ask God to overcome your heart with his mercy and grace today.
Dear Father, you proved your love for us through the gift of your Son and secured us in grace forever. By your Spirit, move us to love you and live faithfully always. Amen.
About the author — Scott DeVries
Scott DeVries has served as a church pastor and as a ministry coordinator in the Holland, Michigan, area. He currently works at facilitating connections between the more than twenty ministries and 1,100 churches of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. He has a passion for prayer, church organization, and studying the Scriptures in their original languages.
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