“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty. “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 3:5-7
Return to the Lord
Daily Devotion – December 7, 2021
Devotion based on Malachi 3:5-7
See series: Devotions
Due to the forces of nature and the erosion of time, the face of the quickly evolving planet we live on is much different today than when God first created it. Human empires also rise to power only to fall back into the dust of history over time. As individuals, we are even more fickle and subject to change—sometimes, the entire course of our lives can turn on a dime with one rash decision. Unlike his creation, however, God is eternal and unchanging.
For one thing, this means that God’s perspective on right and wrong does not “evolve” over time—nor does it need to. He was already perfectly holy and immeasurably loving from all of eternity. The One who will judge all nations has revealed to us his divine law, which is his unchanging will for the lives for all people of all times. Meanwhile, our sinful and impulsive human hearts try to justify our faithless disobedience by claiming that times have changed. Some, for example, attempt to redefine adultery as not hurting anyone, an “old-fashioned” idea. Others don’t even offer an excuse as they trample others in their never-ending quest for self-satisfaction. But the LORD Almighty says, “I will come near to you for judgment.”
Fortunately, God’s changelessness means that his mercy and compassion are also eternal. His promises to forgive all who repent are as valid today as they were when he first spoke to them. For the sake of his Son Jesus Christ, God still offers grace to us today. “Return to me, and I will return to you,” he says. Today, as you hear his invitation, turn to God in repentance and trust in his unending love.
Prayer:
Lord God, turn my fickle heart away from sin and towards your Son. Amen.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.