Devotion – Wednesday, 13 January 2021
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the book Malachi, “A son honours his father. If then I am a father, where is the honour due to me?” says the Lord, Malachi 1:6 (NRSVB).
The prophet Malachi is saddened seeing what is occurring in the temple worship to God. He reminds the people that God instructed the Israelites in the Laws that were given to Moses, to honour their mother and father (Exodus 20: 12). God, the Heavenly Father, is not honoured in his own House, the Temple. Malachi is concerned for the relationship with God is not the Father and Son/ Daughter relationship that it should be. God, the Father, is being neglected and disrespected. God’s words are not obeyed and they are not observing God’s ordinances. Malachi speaks out on behalf of the Lord and beckons the people to come back to the Lord for He never turned from them, but they chose to turn from Him. When we observe children imitating their parents and exhibiting their traits and talents we are filled with endearment. When we come closer to our Heavenly Father and engage with him in prayer and worship we start to reflect some of his mercy and grace in our own behaviour. God longs for our company, as a parent longs for visits and conversations with their beloved children. Little children exhibit such joy when they see their parents after a short time of separation. We do not need to be anxious for being separated from God, our Father, for He is present in our every moment, and He rejoices at our engagement with him. God is the perfect Father; he understands our intentions, and he waits for us to bring our broken dreams to him, for can heal our hearts. As we look around the world today we can identify with Malachi for we share his concerns. A great disrespect has fallen on the world and it seems as if God is not honoured on earth.
Jesus is the Perfect Son, to God, the Perfect Father. Jesus obeyed and respected His Father and gave His life to realize His Father’s work of redemption for all to be God’s reconciled children, brothers and sisters of Jesus. The Pharisees denounced Jesus being the Son of God and used this relationship that Jesus claimed, that God was his Father, as the basis for his trial and for his conviction of blasphemy. Throughout Jesus ministry they constantly tried to trap him into debates of scripture interpretations, so they asked Jesus by whose authority are you teaching? Jesus counter-questioned and asked, tell me whether the Baptism of John from where did it come? The Pharisees knew if they said from heaven, Jesus would ask: Why did you not believe him? And if they say from men, the great crowd would object, because they all believed that he was a prophet. So they opted to say that they did not know. So Jesus said to them, then he can’t tell them under whose authority he was teaching but they must tell him what they think of this parable: “There was a man who had two sons. He came to the first and said, Son, go and work in my vineyard. And the Son answered, I will not: but afterward he changed his mind and went,” Luke 21: 27-28 (Amplified Bible). Jesus explained that those who rejected God and blatantly did wrong, and then had a change of heart, and came and worked are honouring the Father. However, those who said they will honour the Father in word, but did not practice in deed do not honour the Father. People do change and have remorse. They return and try to right the wrongs. When this happens there is rejoicing on earth and in heaven. Let us continue to pray for those who have not had a change of heart as yet, that they will receive the enlightenment of the Spirit so that they can see Christ, the Son.
Father, we come to you and honour you as our Father, who has created us in love and deals with us with grace. Thank you for your infinite patience with us, your children. We pray that the World recognise and obey You. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Amen.
