In my daily devotional times, I’m wrapping up reading through the Old Testament once and New Testament twice this year, and the sequence has me reading Malachi today. What a great book! In view of the training of pastors I do, which will be happening at our house again tomorrow, I was pondering on Mal.2:5-7. God is speaking to priests who are supposed to be the mediators between God and men, a holy order and high calling to speak God’s truth and bring people to the Lord, stretching all the way back to God’s call to Levi.

“My covenant was with him (Levi), a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.”

What an outstanding challenge for all of us who communicate for the Lord, who bring people to God, who help people to recognize their sin and need of a Savior. We must approach this calling with reverence, standing in awe of the name of the Most High God. We must make sure that what is in our mouth is true instruction, and I think of Ephesians 4, where we are called to “speak the truth in love.” We are to turn people from their sin, and back to the Lord, and this begins with us and our household. For we are messengers of the Lord Almighty!!! 2 Corinthians says we are “ambassadors,” as though God was making his appeal through us.

 May God’s grace be upon us to be faithful to the covenant with the Lord, a covenant of life and peace where we declare His truth with fear and awe, drawing all to glorify the one true God. Pressing on, Eric