February 14 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

Elijah's name is his mission: "My God is the LORD." Elijah teaches us the meaning of repentance by the removal of idolatry. Unless we obey the Word, God's blessings don't descend. Instead, the land will experience a terrible drought.

Bible Reading:

Malachi 4

Bible Text:

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes" (Mal. 4:5).

Devotional:

The Old Testament looks forward to the "day of the LORD;' the day when the LORD will come to set things straight in the world.

Whenever Israel suffered defeat and oppression, they hungered for that day. They longed for God to defeat their enemies and restore his people. But the prophets of Israel warned them that the day of the LORD will be a great day only for those who love and serve God. It will be a terrible day for sinners. God is holy, and all sin and sinners will be swept away when he comes to save and to judge.

When the prophets delivered this message, did they have their eye on the first or the second coming of the LORD Jesus? Both! The Old Testament prophecy sees the LORD'S coming in grace and his coming in judgment as a single event. Just as two mountain peaks in the distance can appear as one, so the prophetic vision sees the coming of God's kingdom as one happening. We who live after the first coming and wait for the second know that many centuries separate the two phases of this one work of God.

The Old Testament writings end with a threat and a promise. The threat is that God's coming spells doom for sinners. The promise is that the prophet Elijah will come to call sinners back from idolatry and unite their hearts in the fear of God's name. You will be saved from the curse if you listen to Elijah.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

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 edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.