the stranger

He Is Like A Refiners Fire

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

“Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come,” saith the LORD of hosts.  “But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me,” saith the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:1-5

The words of John the Baptist tell us of the One who was to come, and He came just as John said,

“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 3:10-12

Living Life In The LORD

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And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, ‘Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.  But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.  Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in His spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.  Therefore it is come to pass, that as He cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear,’ saith the LORD of hosts: ‘but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.’ ”
Zechariah 7:8-14

Before they had gone into captivity the people of Israel/Judah had turned the backs on the LORD, and served other gods which were no gods, but demons.

When they turned their backs on GOD they had no desire to love their neighbor, not even their own family.  So the prophets had warned them of their undoing.

For the follower of Jesus Christ today one way to tell that we are  right with the LORD is by the way we love our neighbor; whether it be the orphan, the widow, the stranger,  and/or the poor.

Jesus Christ, as Chief Ruler of your life is the best life to live; and that will have the above justness toward all people, and we will treat them rightly..

Defense

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If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him: neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul. If the men of my tabernacle said not, “Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.” The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.  If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:  did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?
Job 31:29-34

Job is reminding God of his life, and how he has helped people, and that he has not ever wished evil  or curse on  an enemy.  Neither should the one’s who are in Christ Jesus.