Busy weeks, distractions, interruptions, and unexpected hospital visits can all add up to a weak sermon for me. When I have had a bad week and I am not happy with what I have produced I often excuse myself by saying, “It’s not my best, but it will do.”
This usually results in a sleepless night and either a late Saturday night or an early Sunday morning where I rewrite the message to get it closer to being my best. And it is times like these when I finally wise up enough to hand it all over to God and let Him work with me and through me.
What image of God is presented in Malachi 3:3? What is the result of God’s refining ability?
Sometimes we can allow our humility to be an excuse not to be good. As Christians we like to remind ourselves and others that none of us are perfect. We all fall short of the mark of what we should be. And then we leave it at that.
By no means do I believe that we must all be perfect to be a Christian. By no means do I think only the best of the best should be in church. But neither do I subscribe to the belief that we are all going to fail and we should just accept that.
There are none of us who are perfect, but we do need to be working toward that goal. Rather than simply accepting the fact that we are not perfect, we should accept the fact that we cannot be perfect on our own. We need God to make us perfect. That it is the step that so many leave out.
Yes, we are flawed. Yes, we are sinful. Now what do we do?
We must hand ourselves over to God and allow Him to be the refiner described in Malachi. Allow God to refine you, to purify you and make you into a person who can live a life of goodness – agathosune.
It is impossible to live a life of agathosune on your own. But your times of worship and Bible study should not be just times when you feel accepted as you are. They should also be times when you allow God to do His refining so we can bring offerings to God in righteousness.
Worship and Bible study are times to know that God accepts you just as you are, but they are also times when you can be purified through the Lord’s instruction and teaching. Then, as we are purified and refined, it will be easier to exhibit the agathosune we are called to live out.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What keeps you from being “good?” How can God refine you and remove that obstacle?
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