Gary Gleans

Well, the journey through the Bible a chapter at a time has been completed.  Today I just changed the welcome post on the right side under my picture to explain what my plan is for the remainder of the year.  Thanks for reading and I hope you will continue to join me on at least a weekly basis with this new approach.  God bless

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of this journey through the Bible a chapter at a time.  It has been over a five year exercise but here we are in the last chapter of the Old Testament and the last six verses of Malachi.  For those of you who have been with me all the way through this time I thank you for your input, encouragement and patience.  The knowledge that there are people reading these thoughts has provided me with both motivation and accountability.  I am certain I have learned much more from doing this than I have been able to transmit to you but the process of making it available to you has made it more meaningful to me so thank you.  Final words are always very important words so as we come to the final words of the Old Testament it is significant that the last word is destruction.  We started with creation and end with a warning about destruction.  The prophet writes to prepare his readers for the arrival of Messiah.  It ...

Intentions are important for us to understand.  In our relationships, whether romantic or business, we find it very helpful and even vital to understand one another’s intentions.  It is also very important to our relationship with God for us to understand His intentions towards us.  This is one of the many reasons that God gave us Scripture and is the real point of all prophecy.  God understands our intentions perfectly because He knows everything about us including our thoughts and motives.  We, on the other hand, would be at a complete loss for understanding God’s intentions were it not for the Scriptures.  Malachi 3 gives us some very clear insights as to God’s intentions for His people and what He intends to accomplish with His coming. GOD INTENDS TO CONFORM US TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON: The coming of the Lord Jesus to this earth, both His first and second comings, were and will be for the purpose of conforming people to the likeness of Jesus.  ...

God’s expectations are one of the most important things for us to consider in our lives.  We often struggle with our own expectations because we will usually create unrealistic expectations for other people or about certain events.  However, God’s expectations are always right on target.  He knows everything so His expectations and instructions are not only realistic but are vital for us to fulfill.  He puts us in certain circumstances and expects us to fulfill His commandments during those times.  He promises not to allow anything to happen in our life that is beyond the abilities that He gives us to withstand.  Malachi warns both the religious leaders as well as the citizens that have come back from exile that they must align their lives with the instruction and expectations of God. A WARNING TO THE PRIESTS: When God appoints a priest and places him in charge of the worship and the instruction of His people; God expects that job to be taken seriously...

There is, perhaps, no greater sorrow than to have our love spurned.  When we love someone and they don’t feel the same way we do it is a hard thing for us to take.  God feels that heartbreak constantly.  He loves us with a perfect love and yet we question and doubt Him.  We don’t return His love or many times even respond to His love at all.  When we do love Him it is always an imperfect love and often it is a half-hearted love.  Malachi is written in such a context of people who doubt God’s love and respond to His love with cold indifference instead of the passion He deserves.  Unfortunately, our love is often like that of the readers of Malachi. THE REALITY OF GOD’S LOVE: God declares His love for Israel.  The people respond with a heartbreaking question. How have you loved us?  This is the question that people all over the world throw in the face of God.  We often blame the consequences of our sin on God and then question His lac...

The second coming of Christ is an event that seems to be described in this passage.  Since this event is still in the future, there is language in this description that is difficult for us to comprehend.  I believe that when these events are taking place the exact interpretation for some of these things will become clear.  There are a few things that seem to be clear in general terms from which we can learn and for which we ought to prepare.  Much was revealed about Christ’s first advent but the people were not prepared so we would be wise to always be ready for the second coming of Jesus.  There are two basic truths surrounding Christ’s second coming that we should recognize and be prepared for. THE SAINTS WILL SUFFER: The time leading up to the second coming of Christ will be a time of great tribulation on this earth.  Revelation describes wars, famine and plagues that will all be a part of life on earth in the years before the return of Christ....

Purification is a painful process.  When we purify metals we use fire with extreme heat to burn away the impurities from the precious metals.  This process of refining makes the finished product much more valuable.  God does the same with His people.  He uses suffering and many trials to burn away the sinfulness of our lives and conforms us to the image of His Son.  This may be painful and discouraging but the final result is that true believers bring greater glory to God and experience a joy in Christ that far exceeds the suffering that may take place in the process.  THE DESTRUCTION OF FALSE PROPHETS: Everything that is valuable runs the risk of being falsified.  People do not make counterfeits of things that are worthless.  Throughout the history of the nation of Israel God had sent many true prophets of God to reveal to them the will of God and call them to a life of obedience.  These men of God had a vital role in the nation and wer...