Monday January 30th, 2017 Malachi 3:1-4
For he is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. (verse 2)
Imagine you are waiting to meet a member of the royal family or a celebrity or sports star. Their representatives have done their best to prepare you for the occasion. You are anxiously and eagerly waiting, and then you accidentally spill a glass of juice down the front of your clothes, leaving an unsightly stain. No doubt, you would hurry, or be hurried, out of the receiving line and wouldn’t meet anyone.
John the Baptist (the messenger) was sent to prepare the way for the world to meet Jesus, a world of people who were stained on the inside with sin.
Sin is still in the world, and we cannot clean ourselves up enough to meet God, at least not by our own merits.
But the good news is that Jesus himself is the great stain remover. Malachi says he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He is willing and able to do what we cannot do for ourselves.
Just think about it! Instead of being yanked out of the receiving line when we don’t or can’t clean up enough, the very person we want to meet is the one who cleanses us.
We thank you so much, Lord, for your cleansing power that removes the stains in our lives. Amen. — DLG
Contributed by Stain Remover
Imagine you are waiting to meet a member of the royal family or a celebrity or sports star. Their representatives have done their best to prepare you for the occasion. You are anxiously and eagerly waiting, and then you accidentally spill a glass of juice down the front of your clothes, leaving an unsightly stain. No doubt, you would hurry, or be hurried, out of the receiving line and wouldn't meet anyone.
John the Baptist (the messenger) was sent to prepare the way for the world to meet Jesus, a world of people who were stained on the inside with sin.
Sin is still in the world, and we cannot clean ourselves up enough to meet God, at least not by our own merits.
But the good news is that Jesus himself is the great stain remover. Malachi says he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He is willing and able to do what we cannot do for ourselves.
Just think about it! Instead of being yanked out of the receiving line when we don't or can't clean up enough, the very person we want to meet is the one who cleanses us.
