The object then will be to make our independence a blessing. To do this we must secure our union on solid foundations; an herculean task and to effect which mountains of prejudice must be leveled! It requires all the virtue and all the abilities of the Country. ... We know each others sentiments, our views are the same: we have fought side by side to make America free, let us hand in hand struggle to make her happy.
~~Alexander Hamilton to John Laurens, August 15, 1782

The Exhortation of Scripture

"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,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,"
Says the LORD of hosts.

"But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner's fire
And like launderers' soap.
He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the LORD
An offering in righteousness.

Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be pleasant to the LORD,
As in the days of old,
As in former years."

... "Your words have been harsh against Me,"
Says the LORD,
"Yet you say,
'What have we spoken against You?'
You have said,
'It is useless to serve God;
What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance,
And that we have walked as mourners
Before the LORD of hosts?
So now we call the proud blessed,
For those who do wickedness are raise up;
They even tempt God and go free.'"
Malachi 3:1-4, 13-15

"‘And it shall come to pass in all the land,’ says the LORD, ‘that two thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, "This is My people," and each one will say "The LORD is my God.’"
Zechariah 13:8-9

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

"My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives."

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection tot the Father of spirits and live?

For indeed for a few days they chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiles; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Hebrews 12:1-17

You have dealt well with Your servant,
O LORD, according to Your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
For I believe Your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
You are good, and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.
The proud have forged a lie against me,
But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.
Their heart is as fat as grease,
But I delight in Your law.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.
Psalm 119:64-72

"Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,
And the LORD listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the LORD
And who meditate on His name.

'They shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts,
'On the day that I make them My jewels.
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him."
Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between the one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.
Malachi 3:16-18

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous said...

    It's such a blessing, Herky, to find those rare few who hear the same things from the Lord that I hear. Most people, even people at church, look at me like I have two heads. :)

    I remember one time several years ago in a different church, a guest pastor was preaching from Phillippians 3, and he asked for a show of hands: who would like to know "the fellowship of His sufferings?" Of about 80 supposedly spirit-filled Christians present, my hand was the only one that went up.

    Most people don't want to hear about suffering and testing and refining. They want to hear about "blessings." What they don't understand is that testing and refining and suffering ARE blessings - the blessings that will strengthen us for the days ahead.

    So thank you for sharing, Herky. While these particular passages are not the same ones the Lord has been writing on my heart, without doubt the message is the same.

    One concept that has been a burden on my heart, and caused much prayer lately on behalf of others, is this: "lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright."

    Not that those I've been praying for are fornicators or profane (that I know of!), but that many who call themselves Christians, like Esau, will sell their birthright for a moment's relief from the testing to come - brother against brother, children against parents, etc. It's not going to be a pretty picture.

    I've got a related post almost ready, and another one almost ready to start the new blog. (I'm just starting to feel a little better, plus we had my granddaughter for a few days, and had our Christmas with her on Saturday, so it's been a rough week. Keeping up with her is hard enough when I'm NOT sick!)

    Thanks again for the encouraging words, Herky.

  2. Hercules Mulligan said...

    Hmm. I think I know what you're talking about. I guess that just confirms my point about our relation to the Laodicean church.

    Of course, none of us WANT to suffer, because self-preservation is most instinctive in human nature. Now, in some cases, it is good; God likes us not to be indifferent and do stupid things that could kill us. But if we are unwilling to go "know the fellowship of His sufferings" so that we may be close to Him, we really need to question whether it may be really said of us that "I am crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" Galatians 2:20.

    It's interesting that you should point out that you have been praying for others based on this Scripture from Hebrews. How desperately we all need to pray and take heed to ourselves! A test is coming, trial by fire! Will the end times apostasy come out of it? Was it of this time that Jesus spoke of when He said that the love of many would grow cold?

    Let us not grow discouraged. Hang in there my friend. Although Jesus did not praise the Laodiceans, He did not give up on them. He gave each church a promise to those who would overcome -- even to the Laodiceans, the most unfaithful of all seven.

    I anticipate your future posts, and I'm glad that you're getting your new blog going!

    I am also glad you are feeling better. Good luck keeping up with your granddaughter! :D

  3. Fida Abbott said...

    Hello Her,

    Wishing you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

    Best wishes,
    Fida in PA

  4. Hercules Mulligan said...

    Thank you, Fida! Same to you. :)

    God bless you and your family.
    Hercules

  5. ThomasCSlater said...

    Hercules, it's funny last morning
    I was lead to read Malachi. The Lord put that in front of me by no mistake I see. akaGaGa and Hercules you guys both got nice blogs!

    May the Lord shine his face upon you both!

    Thomas

  6. Hercules Mulligan said...

    Hello Thomas. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your comment!

    Isn't it neat how God does that? I think it proves that He is trying to speak to us through this. Let's keep our eyes and ears peeled!

    Thanks for your complement on my blog. And yes, Jean does have a nice blog, too. :) One of my favorites.

    May the Lord shine His face upon you also!

    "Herky"

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