Sharing the Love of God, Our Father
The prophet Malachi wrote to forewarn the people of God what would take place in the future. He told them of a time when God would send a messenger like Elijah, who would turn the people’s hearts back towards God.
The messenger Malachi referred to was John the Baptist. And John’s role was to point the people back to God in preparation for the coming of Jesus (Matthew 3:1-12). John preached a message of repentance, and baptized people in the Jordan river as a sign of turning back to God.
For those who trust in God and believed in Jesus as the coming Messiah, they experienced restoration and salvation. And this is part of Malachi’s message: those who trust in God will be saved from the coming judgment.
One of the signs of this restoration is the uniting of families. The family unit is central to God’s mission, as the relationships within the family represent God’s relationships with His church.
God desires the hearts of fathers to be restored to their children, and the children to their fathers.
While we know that no family is perfect—in fact, many families are broken—we all look forward to the day when God will completely restore our broken world to harmony and love again. Until then we strive to do our best to live in harmony and love with one another.
If you’re a father, consider how you can express God’s love through your relationships to your children. And as children, may we use the time we have left to love our parents as well. For all of us, may we consider how we can love those around us in a way that honors God and communicates His love.
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for ...
“Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD's servant? Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, ...