Malachi 1:6 A son honors his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a Father, where is My Honor? And if I be a Master, where is My Fear? says the Lord of Hosts unto you, O Priests, who despise My Name, and you say, Wherein have we despised Your Name?

 

Malachi was the final Prophet of the Old Testament. After him, the Lord remained silent for 400 years. Between the time of Malachi and John the Baptist, we know of no Prophetic Word from the Lord God. In effect, the Lord was giving His people the silent treatment. This did not mean He stopped loving them, He simply did not speak to them other than through His Word, which they knew very well.

 

When reading the Prophesy given to Malachi, it's obvious God was not pleased with His children. They had not given the Lord His just honor and respect. They were once again living in disobedience, and God would bring correction.

 

The Lord God Almighty is our Heavenly Father. He is our Creator and our Master. The Word of God commands everyone to honor their parents. As well, all slaves must respect and obey their master. Therefore, as children of God, we are to honor our Heavenly Father and show Him respect as our Master. This is done by being obedient to Him.

 

As parents, we expect our children to obey us. We want them to do what we tell them to do and show us the utmost respect at all times. This is not limited to when they are in our presence, but all the time, whether they are with us or not. An obedient child is one who does what is right when their parents are not watching.

 

And so it is with the children of God. The difference is, there is not a time when we are out of the sight of our Heavenly Father.  As a child, I used to think my mother had eyes in the back of her head. She seemed to always know what I was doing, even when she wasn't there. Therefore, I had a healthy respect for her.

 

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13) Nothing is hidden from the Eyes of God, and one day we will all give account. This knowledge should bring us to a place of fearful respect for Him.

 

None of us is perfect, and God knows we will fail. That is why He put in place His Plan of Redemption, which has always been about the Perfect Sacrifice. No matter what we have done, we are redeemable but only by way of our acceptance of His Perfect Sacrifice, Jesus Christ.

 

We serve a Merciful and Forgiving God who loves us more than we can imagine. All He asks is obedience. He expects us to honor Him and respect Him for who He is: our Heavenly Father and Master.

 

The Master is about to...........turn the tide

 

Loving my Master,      Doreen

 

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