Malachi had a tough assignment. Because the people of his day had grown complacent, contentious, and disobedient, Malachi was called upon by God to issue a stern warning.
So what will God say through Malachi? How will God begin? What will be the first words out of His mouth? We find God’s opening words to His wayward people in Malachi 1:2:
"I have loved you," says the LORD.
Amazingly, God never speaks to us, except out of love. Whether He speaks kind words or severe words; liberating words or corrective words – in all the ways God speaks to us – He always does so out of love.
Incredible! Of all the things God wants us to know – the fundamental thing is this: “I have loved you!” “I have loved you!”
This truth is a significant part of my own journey with God. As a teenager, far from God, I was overwhelmed in a very personal way by God’s gracious love.
And notice God doesn’t simply say, “I love you,” but, “I have loved you.” In other words, not only does God love us now; He has always loved us! Our entire lives have been peppered with these overwhelming evidences of God’s specific love.
I marvel that the first words of God to His wayward people are an expression of love. God never speaks to us, except out of love.
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