July 29, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“‘I, the Lord, do not change. So, you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from My decrees and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Malachi 3.6-7)

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

The same yesterday, today and forever. This is how the Apostle Paul described Jesus the Christ in his letter to the Hebrew Christians scattered across the Roman Empire before the Fall of the Temple in Jerusalem. It was hard for any Christian to live in the days of persecution by the Roman Empire. Christianity was a challenge to the established Pax Romana, “The Peace of Rome.” Christianity, as no other political or military or ideological entity “yesterday, today and forever,” was such a challenge to the nations of the world. Remember the power of transformation which was the work of the gospel of Christ. We are talking about a little more than thirty years of existence. As Jesus had lived thirty-three years on earth, it was now approximately thirty-three years later that Paul wrote his Letter to the Hebrews. Jewish Christians faced persecution on all sides. There was Rome. There were the Pharisees (of which Paul had been one before his own conversion) of Israel and the leaders of the Jewish faith. There were Judaizers (an ultra-conservative group within the Christian movement who pushed for all believers to follow the strict Jewish codes and believe in Jesus the Christ.) There were the Gentile Christians who pushed back against the Judaizers (Paul and Peter did as well) and associated all Hebrew Christians as members of the Judaizer group. It wasn’t easy being a Hebrew Christian. It wasn’t easy being a Christian, period. These were a part of those growing pains which come naturally in the midst of transitioning from one way of living to another. In the midst of all of those challenges came the harshest reality of all: persecution and execution, this is- martyrdom. How would any of them face it? Only by keeping their trust in God who through Jesus Christ made Himself known in a personal and powerful way. Jesus Christ was their hope of salvation fulfilled. It did not promise ease of life and freedom from death. In fact, Jesus had warned His disciples “in this world there will be trouble; fear not, however, for I have overcome the world.” Jesus had defeated the “power” of the world which was Satan himself. He had rebuked Satan in the desert following His baptism and anointing to be, what I would call, “The Rabbi of Righteousness.” Satan was no longer free to roam the earth as if he owned the place. Jesus came into the world to overcome the threat of sin and its penalty of death. And what of the Church? Well, if Jesus was “the new sheriff in town,” then the members of the body of Christ were like His deputies. They had to power and the authority to arrest evil and bind it until the Judge of judges returned. This was not “good news” for the enemy of God and humanity. He would continue to fight and create insurrections against the body of Christ, the Church, at every turn. Just like most every good story, the conflict of “good versus evil” is clear. Lots of battles but only one war. We dare not forget the reality of that truth; especially today.

What is that saying, “No matter how much things may change they are always the same.” What remains constant is the truth that the Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the same “yesterday, today and forever.” As mighty ones of God, we can count on this eternal truth. We know “If God is for us, then who can be against us.” (Romans 8.31) Strange how many have read that verse through only one facet of the prism of truth. Many read it and hear it with the end result in mind. It is true that nothing and no one will be able to withstand the power of the presence of God. We saw how that idea was presented just verses before in Malachi (3.2) However, reminded by the teaching of Jesus also just mentioned before, we have to be real about our commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and putting our faith in Him. The whole world and the powers of darkness shall come against us because we dare to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and put our faith in Him who has given His life for us. The Church in Ephesus received their own letter from Paul who urged them to put on the full armor of God and, by prayer, stand ready against the enemy. In so doing, they will be able to withstand the torrent of judgment which will come into the world from both humanity and God and the enemy of both humanity and God. The Church, the body of Christ and the royal priesthood of all believers, will be caught in the throes of this battle. In fact, we are in this very moment. The world is pressing in on all sides. God has not forsaken us. Just because evil is all around and seemingly growing in influence exponentially does not mean that God is absent. God is Immanuel. The Spirit of God is upon us and within us. He has never changed His mind about humanity. They are His wonderful creation. But they are His most wonderful creation when they are recreated in the image of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The sadness is when humanity wants to turn their gaze away from the truth and exchange it for a lie. What is the lie? The lie is “Oh, that stuff won’t really kill you.” That “stuff” is made up of the things which dupe the mind into believing it is the true god of heaven and earth and one’s personal life. It is the stuff which pollutes the thinking of a person into believing substance abuse is “a cure for what ails you.” Nothing but the blood of Jesus is able to cure what truly ails every man, woman and child. The ultimate ailment is the sin-fection which is alive and unwell in the world. Refusing to acknowledge the priority of God and the goodness of His Word creates the open wounds which fester in the heart, mind and soul of every person. It was true in the days of Malachi. It is true today. We cannot escape the unchangeable One. We can count on Him to remain unchangeable in that His desire is still to redeem us, reconcile us and restore in His people blessed forever. This is the truth upon which we must establish ourselves, mighty ones of God. It is the rock on which we stand and upon which the Church is built to withstand the storms that rage all around. We are called to be the witness of truth and a beacon of hope shining in a dark and weary world. Stand firm. Withstand the enemy. Stand with God.

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 which bring others near to Jesus in faith, hope and love. AMEN.