Malachi 4
1. "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud,
yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn
them up,'' says the Lord of hosts, "that will leave them neither root nor branch.
2. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing
in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.
NKJV
While we are all still living this life - that is, long before the day of judgement
- we can experience other vital days which can feel like a burning oven. Some of
life's experiences can be very difficult to cope with.
But this verse says that these difficult experiences - these days which feel like
a burning oven - are aimed at rooting out two main things from us:
pride and wickedness.
Verse 1 warns us that either pride and wickedness will be burned out of us; or
if we insist on holding on to either of them, we will become like stubble, that
is grass that is thrown out because it is useless.
Since it is in our interest to get rid of pride and wickedness, what are these
things and how can we recognise them in our lives?
The dictionary defines pride as feelings of unwarranted self importance. Many
people think that the pride that God is against means having good self esteem.
But that is not so. God wants us to be very confident people: confident because
we are assured of His love and faithfulness to us.
The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans chapter 12:
3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as
God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
NKJV
When I encourage myself to think more highly than I ought to think about me, or
my group, then I am beginning to get into pride.
Prayer:
Father, today I ask that You look into my inner person and see whether there is any pride in my heart.
My desire is not to think of myself more highly than I ought to think, but to think about myself soberly.
Teach me how to do this so that You will not have to judge me for this later on,
in Jesus' name,
Amen.
