Questions of the heart on faith and repentance | Messenger to Messiah, part 4
Malachi's Challenges: From Tithing Habits to Celebrating Sonship in Christ
Gospel Spice | Awaken Delight in God through faith in Jesus Christ
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Show Notes
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM STEPHANIE:
I want to share a special invitation with you. You may have heard that I will be releasing my first book with IVP on July 28, 2026. It’s a big deal and I am so overwhelmed with God’ goodness in allowing me to share such an essential message about delighting in Him as the true essential foundation for all our spiritual growth and maturing. Truly, when we delight in the Lord, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts – namely, more of Himself!
So, here's the invitation. If you feel this message is indeed important, and you know people – including yourself perhaps – who need to be encouraged to awaken and cultivate their delight in God, would you consider joining my book launch team? It’s a great and super easy way to share the good news of God's love for us in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.
**If you’re interested, please go to gospelspice.com/awakendelight and find the section about joining the launch team, or email me at [email protected] **
Together, let’s encourage everyone we know with the wonderful news that, in Christ, God delights in us and invites us to delight in Him!
Welcome to our 4th episode in our “Malachi” series! Today we explore a rich conversation with God through the dynamics of divine justice and mercy, focusing on the relationship between God's unchanging nature and His offer of grace to humanity.
Malachi offers both a picture of God’s judgment, targeting sins such as sorcery, adultery, and oppression, and at the same time, God declares His constancy, ensuring that humanity isn’t consumed. This paradox of divine justice and mercy is a central theme in the book of Malachi, since God's steadfast love is the foundation of our existence and redemption.
God, speaking through Malachi, presents tithing as a practical expression of faith. Tithing symbolizes our dependence on God as an act of returning blessings back to Him. In Christ, tithing is not as a strict obligation, but a way to encourage a lifestyle of generosity and trust in God’s provision. Tithing is not about a precise percentage, but about the spirit of generosity that reflects our relationship with God.
The people of Malachi’s time doubted the benefit of serving God, equating prosperity with divine favor. This prosperity gospel mindset, so prevalent in our own day and age, misses the true reward of intimacy with God, over and against mere material gain.
Today, Malachi offers us a powerful reminder of God’s promise to His people, stating that those who fear Him and honor His name are cherished by Him. We come full circle when we connect Malachi’s message to its prophetic fulfillment through Jesus Christ, who offers the ultimate relationship and reward with God. Stephanie encourages reflection on this relationship and challenges us to align our actions with our faith, fostering a community that esteems God’s Name.
Overall, the book of Malachi is about understanding the depth of God’s love and justice, encouraging us to return to God with open hearts, and recognizing the unparalleled reward of a close relationship with Him. Through Malachi's questions and answers, we are invited to explore our own faith, rooted and established in Christ. We are invited to seek God's presence and promises in our generation, in the context of historical Scripture.
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