Malachi 1-4
The Return Home

God speaks through Malachi to 21st century complainers
 
““You say to God, ‘how have you loved me’”? (1:2)
(God says) “I am a Father, how do you honor me?” (1:6)
“You ask ‘why is God ignoring me at the same time you are breaking faith with the wife of your youth. I hate divorce’” (2:14, 16)
“you call evil good” (2:17)
“you defraud workers of their wages, oppress the poor, and deprive aliens of justice” (3:5)
“you rob me . . . of tithes and offerings” (3:8)
“you have said it ‘is useless to serve the Lord’” (3:14) "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoers will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them."
 "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall”   Malachi 4:1-3

Judgment for the Arrogant. Grace for the Repentant.

How does God deal with us? 
2,000 years ago on the cross (foreshadowed by Passsover) God forgave all sin. That was God’s action in love for all of humanity. He did it. Historical fact. Done deal. Competed and recorded in history. 
So, do all get saved and go to heaven? No. 
In Genesis 3 pride entered the scene and pride led each of us to go our own way. Each of us pushes God out. You do , I do. We are little rebels. Yes, that includes you. Mother Theresa famously said that she had a “little Hitler” insider of her.
So how does God get us back? He forgives us. He then tells us to repent of all the ways we live for ourselves. Malachi lists some of those ways. Each of us has our own “signature way” of playing out our sin.
So how do I get saved? I repent. I turn to God.  I admit my pride and apologize to God for it.   I accept God’s  costly forgiveness. I put him in the driver’s seat. I swallow my pride. I “get it” that he must lead and not me.
Notice Malachi 4:3 above. Pride will be burned away, but the repentant, those who receive their forgiveness will leap like a calf released from a stall.  

Would you like to leap like that? Repent. 

Prayer

Lord, my pride is awful. Please open my eyes to my “signature” method of playing out my independence from you, my prideful arrogance, which I’ve learned all too easily to display as false humility. Lord forgive me and lead me in the way that is everlasting. Amen”