"Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.
These are words worth contemplating for both Christ's first and second Advent. God sends messengers, like John the Baptist to "clear the way" or as Isaiah says "make the path straight." Then the Lord comes. But notice what he says: the Lord whom you seek. There's a question for us: Am I seeking the Lord? or day one: Am I hiding in the darkness? Notice what the Lord is able to do when He comes: refine and purify. He is like the purifier of precious metals, using heat and fire to refine, and He is like the one who scrubs - He has a lot of cleansing to do. Another question: Do I welcome the Lord's cleansing, purifying in my life? Where does He begin? With His representatives, His priests, who are charged with helping others come to Him. For those awaiting His first Advent, that group was clear: the ones who cluttered the temple were often corrupt and clogged up the way to God, instead of making the path to Him clear. Who are the priests now as we await the second Advent? Those who claim to be followers of Christ. So the question is: Am I clearing the way for people to find God, or clogging it up? So many questions. So much time to consider them. Have a quiet day.
These are words worth contemplating for both Christ's first and second Advent. God sends messengers, like John the Baptist to "clear the way" or as Isaiah says "make the path straight." Then the Lord comes. But notice what he says: the Lord whom you seek. There's a question for us: Am I seeking the Lord? or day one: Am I hiding in the darkness? Notice what the Lord is able to do when He comes: refine and purify. He is like the purifier of precious metals, using heat and fire to refine, and He is like the one who scrubs - He has a lot of cleansing to do. Another question: Do I welcome the Lord's cleansing, purifying in my life? Where does He begin? With His representatives, His priests, who are charged with helping others come to Him. For those awaiting His first Advent, that group was clear: the ones who cluttered the temple were often corrupt and clogged up the way to God, instead of making the path to Him clear. Who are the priests now as we await the second Advent? Those who claim to be followers of Christ. So the question is: Am I clearing the way for people to find God, or clogging it up? So many questions. So much time to consider them. Have a quiet day.
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