Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in YouTube images and lyrics from the group, 4Him, singing … The Message … powerfully singing of how we must be God’s messengers in our lives, carrying THE MESSAGE of God’s truth from His word to others as we witness of our Lord and Savior.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Malachi 3:1 [NLT] … 1 “Look! I am sending My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord [Messiah] you are seeking will suddenly come to His Temple. The Messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
… The pronouncement of the coming Messiah which would be heralded by a messenger.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Malachi 3:1-5 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s message, thru Malachi, was that He would send a messenger to God’s people harkening the coming of the New Covenant.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:9-10, 17:12-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… It became clear to the Disciples that God’s “messenger,” prophesied by Malachi had come in John the Baptist, heralding the coming of our Messiah in King Jesus.
Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
… Jesus challenge message to all Christians … to go forth and witness His Gospel message to all we can in our sphere of influence.
Reference Passage : … 2 Timothy 3:16-17 [NLT] … 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
… God’s word is His ultimate message to mankind, giving us all we need to be His messengers of hope.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, uses a personal remembrance to illustrate how we, who are in Christ, have received God’s message of hope thru His word and the effect it can have when we share it with others. The ODB author writes … “I have a message for you!” A woman working at the conference I was attending handed me a piece of paper, and I wondered if I should be nervous or excited. But when I read, “You have a nephew!” I knew I could rejoice.
Messages can bring good news, bad news, or words that challenge. In the Old Testament, God used His prophets to communicate messages of hope or judgment. But when we look closely, we see that even His words of judgment were intended to lead to repentance, healing, and restoration.
In the Old Testament, as today’s ODB entry explains, God sent Prophets to be His messengers because the Priesthood had failed to be His heralds of promise and good news. And one of those Prophets, Malachi, foretold of one special messenger, who would proclaim the coming of God’s ultimate messenger, His Messiah. And that messenger, of course, was John the Baptist, who came with the message of the New Covenant in God’s Messiah, … King Jesus [see Matthew 11 and 17 linked above].
So what is “The Message” sung about in today’s linked song> You likely know it, my fellow messengers. It, of course, is God’s word, and Jesus was the living Messenger of His Truth until He charged us to be His witnesses when He ascended to heaven after the resurrection, commissioning all who know Him as Lord to take His word to all mankind (see Acts 1:8).
And to me, that would be a great New Year’s resolution, wouldn’t it; … for us to do all we can to share God’s message of truth from His word to any/all who need to hear our Lord’s Gospel message of hope?! Would you join me to be His messengers into 2019 and beyond … if He gives us that much time?
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your gospel message of hope found in Your word.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me in a resolution this new year to carry the message of hope we have in Christ by sharing God’s truth with others thru the way we live in/for Christ. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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