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Malachi 4:1-3 – “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My Name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.”
Do you like fire? If I asked you that question, you’d have every right to say to me: “Well, it depends.” Are we talking about a destructive fire, the kind that hurts people and leaves the world in ashes? Or are we talking about life-giving fire, like the heat of the sun?
God describes the last day of this universe as a day of fire in both senses. For people who are proud and who cling to evil, it will be a fire that destroys—a fire that leaves nothing alive, not even deep underground where the tree roots are. There is no escape for those who turn away from the Lord and go their own way.
But for those who love the Lord and honor Him with all their hearts, “the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” And we know who God is talking about—it’s Jesus, of course! He is for us the fire that does not burn but rather gives us healing—the warmth that makes everything alive, not just now but forever.
This isn’t the only time Jesus gets called by this name. When John the Baptist was born, the Holy Spirit spoke through his father Zechariah to describe Jesus the same way. He called Jesus “the sunrise” who “shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79b).
This is a very good name for Jesus, isn’t it? Because we all know that, without the warmth and light of the sun, nothing on earth would survive. Without the warmth of Jesus’ love and the light of His truth, what would become of us? We would be freezing in the darkness, far away from God. But that’s not where we are—because God the Father has sent Jesus to us, to be our sunrise, our sun of righteousness, who gives us warmth and life forever.
When Jesus first came to us 2,000 years ago, He came to rescue us—to save us from the power of evil, at the cost of His own life. Now that He has risen from the dead and will never die again, we look forward to His second coming—because on that day, He will raise each of us, too. He has promised to do this, and we will live forever with Him. He promised this to us in John 6:37-40, and we know that His promises are true.
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, You are my sun of goodness and healing. I’m looking forward to Your return! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- Why does evil have to be destroyed? What would happen if God left it alone to continue forever?
- Tell about a time when you really looked forward to a coming day.
- What do you look forward to about the coming of Jesus?
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