December 19 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

In the time of Malachi, people were praying for the day of the Lord: "Come, O come, Immanuel."

The newly rebuilt temple was full of people. They were shedding tears around the altar because they did not think the Lord really cared. They doubted the truth of his promise. But still they cried for the Lord to come.

The word of the prophet gave them a rude awakening. "Yes," he thundered, "the Lord is coming all right. Suddenly he will come to his temple. But for many people, the advent of the Lord is not going to be a happy event. In fact, who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?"

Wouldn't it be a shock if Malachi were to take over the public address system in one of our sprawling super shopping malls? Suddenly the Christmassy music would stop and a dark voice would say: "Six more days until Christmas. But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears?"

Maybe it would not be such a shock. Someone might remark, "How nice! They're giving Bible readings over the PA system." Someone else might recall having heard these words before—in a really beautiful performance of the Messiah.

Words are so plentiful and truth is so scarce! The ancient temple was also filled with words. "You have wearied the LORD with your words" (2:17). But faith in God was lacking: "Where is the God of justice?" (2:18). And faithfulness to the covenant of marriage was taken lightly (2:14-16).

The terror of God's appearance cannot be avoided by nice words, sweet songs, or good sermons. It takes faith and faithful works, says the prophet.

We aren't just waiting for Christmas. We are expecting the appearance of the Lord. Therefore we must continue to have faith in him. If we're married, we must remain faithful to our husbands and wives. And we must love our neighbors as ourselves.

REFLECTIONS

How will this passage and reading affect your celebration of Christmas this year?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.