Chapter 11: God’s Eternal Character

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Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit,

And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.” Malachi 2:15

This section in Malachi teaches us to honor the wife of our youth as God has made us “one” with her. Did He not make them one [of one flesh]?

The prophet Malachi is talking about a covenant marriage made in God’s eyes. It is the kind that Jackie and I shared for 39 years. It carries with it the oath of “till death do us part.” Yes, He did make them one [Jackie and I too] and God did it by placing in them and us a remnant of His Spirit. All who

walk with God will become one with Him just as Jesus Christ did for exactly the same reason. We choose God with our hearts and He then places His Spirit inside of us because we first choose to be “one” with Him. It is the greatest exercise of your free will that you can ever make. And, I might add

the most exciting one you can make.

With God and the world, everything is reversed. The world tells you that God will cramp your lifestyle. However, life with God is more exciting

than life in this world without Him. You just don’t have the privilege of knowing this until you make an irreversible choice of your heart. To quote some friends, “You can’t experience the river of God until you jump into it and get neck deep.” It is a real irony that what people think is dull is

actually the epitome of excitement on this planet, walking with God. If you claim to be a Christian and you do not have this kind of excitement in this earthly here and now — it is a clear sign that you need a heart check up.

The God that Jesus knew is the same God that Jesus told us in his

model prayer instructions to do the following:

1. To pray to God without vain repetitions like hypocrites do. 2. To pray in private and in secret so God will reward us openly.

3. To pray to our Father God in Heaven [not to Jesus]. 4. To praise God’s name [hallowed be Your name]. 5. To ask for God’s kingdom to come, not Jesus’. 6. To ask forgiveness from God for our sins.