Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 36; Revelation 22; Malachi 4; John 21
Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
The last words of the Old Testament end with a promise and a warning. The promise is that Elijah is coming. He had a heart turning ministry to do before the great and dreadful day of the LORD. Sin always separates and God’s purpose is to reconcile. The promise of Elijah was fulfilled in John the Baptist. The angel told Zechariah this concerning his son:
Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
And Jesus said:
Matthew 17:11-12 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. The work of God is reconciliation. He is reconciling the world back to himself and working in the hearts of men to reconcile them to one another. Turning the hearts of fathers to children and of children to fathers is a mighty work. How many broken families are there? How many heartaches come this time of year because of difficulty in relationships among families?
Will you receive the heart turning ministry that Elijah prepared the way for? The salvation that comes from Jesus Christ brings the love of God into the heart and that love builds strong relationships. The parent/child relationship is a vital one. Along with marriage and master/servant relationships, parents and children reflect the image of God. God is our Father and those who are saved are his children. If the earthly parent/child relationship is a bad one, it reflects a wrong view of God.
Would you pray with me for fathers and children? Would you pray for love, understanding and reconciliation? The love of God is like glue that bonds people in love to one another and parents and children need that love!
In Christ,
Rody
