LAST OF THE MINOR PROPHETS

Today is Friday already.  Each week flies by.  Soon, it will be Sunday again…. Praise God!  Already, I'm so looking forward to Sunday.  I've finished up the Old Testament today and tomorrow, I will start reading the New Testament.  What a blessing they both are.  Here are a few choice nuggets of truth:   1) BY GOD'S SPIRIT- Zechariah 4:6 says:  "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."  God says that it is His Spirit that makes all of the difference.  It was His Spirit that got the temple rebuilt, and it will be His Spirit that builds our churches.  Our job is to be faithful and to lean upon His Spirit to see the work of God to go forward.  Last night, I prayed with two individuals.  A mother at her door, and a young man coming back from soccer practice.  In both cases, it was God's Spirit that brought them to Christ…. I just yielded to His Spirit and God used me.  So it ever is in the work of God…. We yield…. He impowers!   2) BIBLICAL PATTERN- In Zechariah 9:9, it says:  "…thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."  Zechariah has about five verses that directly refer to Jesus' earthly ministry.  They are prophetic verses such as this one.  This verse refers to Christ's entry into Jerusalem on the foal of an ass upon which never man sat before.  But here is the truth: He came as a Lamb before He was presented as the Lion.  He was lowly before we see Him as lofty.  The Bible teaches first humility, and then exaltation.  He came as a lowly babe born into a poor family in Bethlehem, but He will one day come as the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  Remember that the way us…. Is down.  Humility is what God is after!   3) MALACHI- Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament is a book of questions and answers.  There are 26 questions asked in this short book of only four chapters.  Ten are asked by man, and sixteen are asked by God.  God asks and answers his own questions, so it is a question and answer time!  Malachi is a book of preparation.  (Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:…")  Now John the Baptist was sent to do just that.  But, in Malachi, as it prepares for the LORD to come to earth, it addresses our tithes and offerings.  You see until we get right there, our hearts will never be right with God.  (For where your treasures are, there will you hearts be also.)  So, bring the tithes and offerings into the storehouse,… and prove God…. And let Him open up to you the windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.  Wow!   Hope you have a blessed day today…. I'm excited about living the day with Jesus!   Pastor Mike Mutchler