July 17, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“You have wearied the Lord with your words.

‘How have we wearied him?’ you ask.

You have wearied Him by saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and He is pleased with them’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’” (Malachi 2.17)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

This is possibly Malachi’s way of presenting the age-old question “Why do bad things happen to good people and vice versa?” We each have considered this question ourselves. It leads us to ponder “What is the justice of God?” Of course, who knows the mind of God apart from the Holy Spirit? (1 Corinthians 2.11) As I was sharing with a pastor yesterday, I was reminded that our true identity is not externals (which the world promotes as good) but with internals (where the spirit of each person exists.) We are earthen vessels in which the Spirit of God resides; tabernacles in which the true worship pours out “in spirit and in truth.” Going back to the very beginning, the truth of our externals comes from the fact that we are created in the image of the Godhead; or as the Godhead has imagined human beings would look like. The multiplicity of our appearances did not exist in the Garden. With the fall of humanity, the flesh was changed influenced then by the world apart from the purity of the Garden. Yet, even in the Garden, the Serpent existed. Is it not true, then, that at the Fall of Humanity even the Serpent was changed? (Genesis 3.14) What does not change is the justice of God! What we see is that the externals of life are finite, they will pass away. However, what is internal is infinite. There is eternal life with God in His Heaven. There is eternal death which is life without God in Hell. Trying to imagine living without the presence of God is a wearisome thought. It is one that far too many people pursue. In the end, however, we all will stand in the presence of the truth. “On that Day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.” (Romans 14.11) It will become clear to all that the truth will be undeniable. In that moment, many will complain “But the world said that evil was good and good was evil!” Further many will profess “I heard that whatever I did pleased God” or “No matter what I have done, God will not forsake me.” What matters is how we are working to grow into the image in which we were made. It is the image of Christ in His fullness of body, mind and spirit that we are called to pursue. To feign such attempts will result only in our frustration and in our destruction. Just because we “say a thing” does not make it so. It is God’s word alone which is proficient, sufficient and good.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works leading others to call Jesus Lord in faith, hope and love. AMEN.