August 3, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“‘Test Me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Malachi 3.10b-12)

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

What shall we say? Will it be “That’s good for them (the nation of Israel), but what about us?” Don’t we remember from Genesis 12.3 (also Genesis 49.9 and Numbers 24.9), “Those who will bless you [Israel], I will bless and those who curse you [Israel], I will curse [withhold favor].” It is a promise which God made beginning with Abraham as He set His purpose to be known by all the world. Why should all the world know God? We have to remember that the enemy of God and humanity, Satan- the cast out Lucifer, was already singing his song of falsehood on the earth. He was casting a darkening shadow of doubt about God and His goodness. He was producing the mindset where his lie would seem like the truth. Specifically, that God’s justice was capricious and self-serving. If Israel would remain faithful to God, then the world would have another voice to contradict the lie. Israel would sing the new song of salvation and blessing so that they whole world would know of God’s mercy and goodness. Even today, because of the gift of God in Jesus Christ, the act of faith and belief is manifested in the blessing of eternal life in that mercy and goodness. The sorrow which has become pervasive is that it would seem Israel just “couldn’t believe.” They trusted more in the song of self-service fearing God’s wrath instead of abiding in “fear of the Lord” which is praise and service on earth as it is in Heaven. Because of their continued failure across the years and the pages of the history to remain steadfast with God before all the world, they diminished the blessing and promoted the curse. Wouldn’t it seem reasonable that the original promise made to Abraham for all future generations (those who bless Israel will be blessed etc) would include Israel itself? I would bring us back to the very commandment which Jesus gave to the disciples for the sake of the new community of faith that we being born in the promise of His salvation. That commandment spoke of “Love one another.” He was driving home the reality of what makes for greatness and what is the template for failure. To not care for their own and build up the body of faith until it reaches the full measure and stature of Christ Himself in whose image humankind was created, was to produce the curse. Mighty ones of God, if we cannot love one another what kind of testimony are we producing for the world to see? The curse is being manifested even now exponentially. And it is a principle which can easily, and must diligently, be applied in every venue of our lives: self, home, community, state, nation and the world.

The question, of course, is the same one which was presented to Jesus by “an expert in the Law,” a Pharisee. He asked Jesus, in order to justify himself, “Who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus taught him the answer to his question with the Parable of the Good Samaritan. (Remember, “good” is biblically defined as “one who does as God intends.”) Without retelling the parable, you can read it at Luke 10.25-37, it is the “outsider” to the Jewish faith who responds as God would expect His chosen people (represented by a priest and a Levite) to act. The conclusion of the teaching, “Go and do likewise,” illustrates the point I have made which aligns with God’s promise: Those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed. The Samaritan did what was good and right to do: blessed an Israelite. It was contrary to popular belief because there was such enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans. Remember when Jesus ministered to the Samaritan woman at the well? She was surprised that He, a Jew, would speak to her, a Samaritan-one and a woman- two. She would have represented the lowest of the low. Yet, Jesus came into the world to reconcile all people to God. His gift of forgiveness was not reserved for some but offered to all. What if Israel, beginning with the priests and Pharisees, dared to believe that Jesus was indeed the Christ? Yes, they would have been opposed by other nations. They would have offended those who were in the world for themselves at the expense of others. God, however, would have blessed them, favored them and protected them. What Jesus did redefined the human perspective on the answer to the self-serving lawyer’s question. His hope of justification was this: hang out with those like me and commit a little charity to the rest. What he got was “love one another; show mercy, kindness, goodness and God’s justice.” Set the example of being faithful to God in all things and let God’s will be manifested as you dare not believe can happen. This sounds like expert advice to me for us all according to the “Law of Love.” It is never too late to do good. We may not change the whole world, but we can change one person at a time.

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.