temple

A Sheep Meanders Through Malachi 3:1-4

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The Refiner’s Fire

My fellow saints,

As we sit with a bracing cup of tea or boldly roasted coffee this morning, we are going to continue to look at our loving Father and see how He longs to mold us into a reflection of His holiness. As we look at the message given through Malachi, prayerfully consider how God has already changed you since you first met Him, and let Him continue that good work in you until the day Jesus comes to take us home.

The people of Malachi’s day were tired of waiting.The temple stood again. The feasts went on. Prayers were still said. And yet something in the worship felt thin. The priests had grown careless. The people had grown cynical. Underneath the religious routine was a question that still lives in many quiet hearts: Where is the God of justice? If the Lord is holy and good, why does so little change?

God does not scold them for asking. He answers them with a promise.“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1)

There are two figures in this verse, and both are gifts.The first is “my messenger.” His work is not to save, but to prepare. He goes ahead of the King, clearing the road, telling the truth, calling people to get ready. The New Testament does not leave us to guess who this is. Jesus says this promise is fulfilled in John the Baptist. Before Christ comes to us in mercy, God often sends a voice that unsettles us. That voice is not unkind. It is kindness making room.

Then comes the One for whom the road was cleared: “the Lord whom you seek.” Not another prophet. The Lord himself. He comes to his temple. He is also called “the messenger of the covenant,” the One who does not merely announce God’s promise but brings it in his own person. Notice the holy tenderness of the wording. The Lord of hosts says the first messenger will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord arrives. The church has rightly heard this and bowed. John prepares the way. Jesus comes.

This should have been the comfort they wanted. They had asked God to draw near. Malachi says he will. But then the prophet asks the question that turns longing into reverence:

“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?” (3:2)

We often want the Lord’s nearness the way we want consolation: something warm that leaves us as we are. Malachi says the One we seek comes like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap. Fire that melts. Soap that washes. Neither image is cruel. Both are purposeful. A refiner does not put silver in the flame in order to destroy it. He does it so that what does not belong can be taken away. A fuller does not beat the cloth because he hates it. He does it because he means to make it clean.Then comes a sentence that has steadied many saints:

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” (3:3)

He sits. That one word is pastoral theology. The Lord is not hurried with your soul. He does not apply heat and walk away. A silversmith stays with the work, watching the metal, tending the flame, waiting until the surface grows clear enough to reflect his face. If Christ is near you in a season that feels hot and searching, it may not mean he has withdrawn. It may mean he has sat down to the work he loves.

And see where he begins: “He will purify the sons of Levi.” This is no accident. The earlier chapters have already laid the priests bare. They brought God what cost them little. They handled holy things with dull hearts. So when the Lord comes, he does not first go looking for strangers. He begins with those who stand nearest the altar.

That word still finds us. In Christ we have been made a royal priesthood. Our worship is not only what happens in a sanctuary. It is also our speech, our work, our repentance, our hidden obedience, the ordinary offerings of an ordinary day. The Lord still cares whether what we bring him is true. He loves us too much to leave our worship half-alive.

But notice the aim. He does not refine in order to shame. He refines so that worship can become pleasing again.“Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.” (3:4)

God is not chasing novelty. He is restoring what was lost: offerings given in righteousness. In Malachi’s day that meant sacrifices brought with integrity. In ours it means lives offered through Christ—thanksgiving that is not thin, repentance that is not theatrical, mercy that costs us something, obedience that is not for display. We do not first make ourselves acceptable and then come. The Refiner makes a people who can come.

So this passage is both comfort and holy caution. Comfort, because the fire is proof that you have not been abandoned. If the Lord meant only to consume, he would not sit so patiently over the silver. Caution, because we cannot ask for his presence and then resent his purity. The Lord we long for is the Lord who makes us clean.

There is an already and a not-yet in these verses. Jesus did come suddenly to his temple. He walked its courts. He overturned its tables. He gave himself as the covenant in person. He is still purifying his people by the Word and the Spirit. And he will come again, when his appearing will not be mistaken for a passing religious feeling.

Until that day, this text does not ask you to be impressive. It asks you to be willing. Do not only pray that God would act somewhere else. Let him refine what is here, in you. The heat you fear may be the place where he is most faithfully at work. He is not trying to ruin the silver. He is staying with it until he can see his image there.

A few questions to carry into prayer

  1. Where have you asked the Lord to come near, while quietly hoping he would leave some corner of your life untouched?
  2. If the present heat in your life is a refiner’s fire, what might he be lovingly taking away?
  3. What offering—your words, your work, your worship, your hidden obedience—needs to become more honest before him?

Remember dear ones, it is because God deeply loves you that He continues to work in your life. As He does, we will become more and more like His precious Son. Let that thought comfort you until we draw together again to study more of God’s Precious Word together.

Your fellow sheep

A Sheep’s Journey Through Psalms -122

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Joy in God’s Presence


The Pilgrim’s Glad Heart

Imagine dusty feet climbing the rocky roads toward Jerusalem. The pilgrims sing together—one of the Songs of Ascents—lifting their voices as they draw near the holy city. David captures that very moment in Psalm 122. His words aren’t distant or formal; they overflow with genuine joy: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (v. 1).

This is a pilgrim psalm. The “house of the Lord” points first to the temple, the place where God’s presence dwelt among His people in a special way. The invitation isn’t a command but a shared delight—“Let us go.” David doesn’t go alone; he rejoices in community. Worship was never meant to be solitary. There is something powerful about the collective “us” of God’s people stirring one another toward His presence.

As Christians, we hear an even sweeter invitation in these words. Jesus, the greater David, calls us not merely to a physical building but to Himself—the true Temple (John 2:19-21). Every time we gather with believers for worship, prayer, or fellowship, we are stepping into the joy David knew. Are you glad when Sunday comes? When a friend says, “Let’s pray together” or “Let’s open the Word”? Let David’s gladness rekindle yours today.

The Beauty of Unity and Justice

David then describes Jerusalem as “built as a city that is bound firmly together” (v. 3). The Hebrew carries the idea of compactness and unity—like stones fitted perfectly into place. The tribes of Israel, though diverse, ascended together “to give thanks to the name of the Lord” (v. 4). This city was the center of their national and spiritual life.

He also notes the “thrones for judgment” of the house of David (v. 5). Jerusalem wasn’t just a place of worship; it was a place of righteous rule and justice. In David’s time, this pointed to the king’s responsibility to uphold God’s law. Prophetically and typologically, it foreshadows the perfect King—Jesus Christ—who sits on David’s throne forever and will judge with perfect righteousness (Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:32-33).

For us today, the church is called to reflect this unity and justice. We are “built together” as living stones into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). In a divided world, our gatherings should display the compact beauty of love across differences. And as citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22; Galatians 4:26), we long for the day when Jesus establishes perfect justice and shalom.

Praying for the Peace of Jerusalem

The psalm turns to fervent prayer: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (v. 6). The Hebrew word for peace—shalom—means far more than the absence of conflict. It speaks of wholeness, prosperity, harmony, and well-being. David calls God’s people to actively seek Jerusalem’s good “for my brothers and companions’ sake” and “for the sake of the house of the Lord our God” (vv. 8-9).

Historically, this was a prayer for the literal city—the center of worship and the throne. Yet from a Christian perspective, it carries deeper layers. We pray for the peace of modern Jerusalem and the Jewish people, as Scripture calls us to do (Genesis 12:3). At the same time, we look beyond earthly cities to the New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, where God will dwell with His people in perfect peace (Revelation 21:2-4).

Even now, we can experience shalom in Christ. He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14), having broken down every wall of hostility through His cross. In the church—your local congregation—we are to pursue peace with one another (Romans 12:18; Ephesians 4:3). When conflict arises, when weariness sets in, remember David’s example: pray for the peace of God’s people, and actively seek their good.

A Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, thank You for the glad invitation to come to You. Rekindle in us the joy of gathering in Your name. Bind Your church together in unity, and let justice and righteousness flow from our lives. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem—both the earthly city and Your heavenly one. Give us shalom in our hearts, our homes, and our congregations. For Your sake and for the sake of our brothers and sisters, help us seek the good of Your people. In Your mighty name, Amen.

May the God of peace fill you with fresh joy as you walk with Him today. “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”—and may we go with hearts full of gratitude and hands ready to serve.

When Life Reflects Songs

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First, an apology for the lack of posts in recent weeks. Phase 2 of our re-location from Montana to the Eastern US is now complete. We have purchased property in Jeff Davis County, Georgia for Ta Ethne’s new home. This gives us access to Savannah and Jacksonville airports as well as 2 interstate highways. It also allows us to expand our donor base, something future growth will need. Thank you to all those who have been praying with us about this process.

Now, for today’s blog. At church this past week, we were singing a hymn, “Footsteps of Jesus.” One of the verses happened to strike me. It went like this:

Though they lead through the Temple holy, preaching the Word

Or in homes of the poor and lowly, serving the Lord

Why did these verses speak to me? Because I have been a pastor for the last 21 years, preaching the Word in churches across America and SE Asia. Now, as well as leading Ta Ethne’s ministries, I serve as a chaplain with a local hospice here in south Georgia. Oh, I occasionally preach and speak at churches – fill in, revivals, conferences and the like, but mainly I am in people’s homes, ministering to the dying. I have the opportunity and the privilege of meeting people when they are most vulnerable. I am able to serve families after death in learning how to cope with grief. Rich or poor, death comes to every person. Many I meet have no relationship with God. They would never come to hear me preach. I become their pastor by going into their homes and caring for them. They know I come not to get anything from them, but to serve them.

Being a chaplain has allowed me to use my whole repertoire of pastoral skills. It may not be as glamorous as preaching the Word in the Temple, but I hope it mimics my Savior in proclaiming hope to the hopeless, freedom to the captive and healing (ultimate healing) for the sick.

Continue to pray for Ta Ethne as we build community relationships and continue to grow in our mission to bring leadership training to churches worldwide.

Weekly Photo Challenge — Patterns

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Can you guess what this is?

Freshwater mussel shells stacked together

Freshwater mussel shells stacked together

Yes, I still play with my food, although I did eat the mussels first before playing with the shells

Fun pattern on the ceiling of a temple in Malaysia

Fun pattern on the ceiling of a temple in Malaysia

Weekly Photo Challenge – Near and Far

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Here is a picture taken in front of Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At 272 steps, climbing it was a challenge!

At the bottom, one can see the images on top of the gateway. One proceeds up 272 steps into the cavern temple