Malachi 1:2 (The Message)
GOD said, "I love you."
You replied, "Really? How have you loved us?"
"Look at history" (this is GOD's answer). "Look at how differently I've treated you, Jacob, from Esau.”
* * *
I finished today. Finally.
I hate to admit how long it’s taken me to read through the Old Testament again—a whole year and 9 months. And that’s just the OT, mind you. Obviously I didn’t subscribe to a Bible-in-1-year reading plan, or even the 2-year plan that I love.
Yet through it all, God blessed Jacob anyway. Why? Many reasons, but one is: Because Jacob let him.
If I ever doubt God’s love for me, I need only turn around. Look backwards. Yes, some bad things have happened in my past, but I’ve been delivered through them all. I may have felt alone at times, but I wasn’t. God never abandoned me. History proves his long-term blessing.
Has God treated me differently? Yes. He treats every believer differently from unbelievers. Not because he loves them more; he loves everybody the same.
Then why? Many reasons, but one is: Because we let him. He’s sitting on ready, wanting to give us his blessings, if we’ll let him.
But accepting his blessings means we have to keep unloading the junk we insist on carrying around ourselves, and instead, show God our open, empty hands.
I want to be treated special. Am I willing to let God keep doing it? Tomorrow I’ll start again reading through the New Testament. The special blessings of fulfilled grace really stand out there. Am I ready to accept them?
2 comments:
I'm encouraged you finished because I think at one time, we were on the same page! I have written "10/26/07" on the top of my schedule as my starting date and have just finished Job 10... so I am obviously taking a much LONGER journey through than you, but I am proud that I don't give up... I keep the schedule in my bible and go in phases on it, but I keep making progress. One thing I think is crazy is it seems no matter where I am in my life and no matter how long since the last time I read from the schedule... whatever I am reading is always pertinent or God uses it to speak my circumstance. And maybe in ANOTHER year and a half, I can say I am done with the OT again. And P.S. - I completely agree that history proves God's "long term blessing"...
You're so right, Brenda--no matter where we pick up, God can speak to us in THIS DAY with that particular section of scripture. He's so cool like that--no wonder we love him.
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