ZECARIAH & MALACHI

Today is Thursday.  I enjoyed last night at Church a great deal.  Today is a slower day planned and I will get some errands run and a few visits made.  I hope you have a great day as well.  Today, I end the Old Testament again.  Here are a few thoughts to share:

1) HARD HEARTED- Zech. 7:12 says the people's heart was hard.  "they made their hearts as an adamant stone".  Who would think that disobeying God a little would lead to such a state of hard heartedness?  Let's not start down that road!

2) THE ATTRACTION OF HIS PRESENCE  Zech. 8:23- "We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you."  If we walk with God, others will want to walk with us so that they can learn to walk with God!!  God draws people to people who walk with Him.  The key to spiritual leadership is not what you do with the crowd, but what you do with God while all alone!  If we walk with God, so good things start rubbing off on us and it affects those around us.

3) FULL OF PROPHECY-  Zechariah is full of prophetic verses about Christ.  Zechariah 9:9  "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, 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." (Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem); 12:10- "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced" (spear in Christ's side); 13:6- "What are these wounds in thine hands?"  (nails in Christ's hands); 13:7- "smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered" (disciples running for cover in the upper room);  and many other that deal with the battle of Armageddon.

4) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS-  The last book of the Old Testament is Malachi and it is a book of questions and answers.  God asks 16 questions, and man asks 10.  God is seeking for His people to return unto Him and he starts talks about the tithe.  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  God knows that unless the people start tithing and giving their offerings again, that God does not have their hearts!!  Same thing today as well.  It's not about money, it's about our hearts.  That is why God says if we will give it, He will give it back "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over".  He doesn't need our cash, He wants our hearts!!  

5) THE ROAD TO REVIVAL- In Malachi, God is setting the stage for the entrance of Christ into the World.  There are 400 silent years between Malachi and Matthew, but much happens during that time.  In Mal. 3:1 it says: "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:"  In verse 7 it says: "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of host."  Now God is wanting the people to return to Him in order to revive His people and send His son.  So, the question is..... What does God now address?  Well, God talks about tithes and offerings in verses 8-11!  Why, because if God doesn't have our treasure, He doesn't have our hearts.  So He deals with the treasure in order to turn our hearts back to Him.  Are you tithing?  Do you give offerings?  Anyone who is ever greatly used of God gives generously to the work of God, knowing it ALL belongs to Him!!

Hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!  Pastor Mike Mutchler