The Christ Quarter

Power, Love, And A Sound Mind

• Boris Kirk • Season 6 • Episode 80

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Fear is loud right now, but it doesn’t have to be in charge.

We open Scripture to Malachi and face a difficult situation; God is confronting careless leadership. But not to crush his people, rather to restore life and peace. The language is strong, the warning is clear, and the purpose is love.

From there we see Paul’s reminder of power, love, and a sound mind.  These help us see God in the noise rather than be shaped by it.

We walk through Malachi 2:1–9, where priests drift from reverence into routine, and consider how influence works today; many pastors, parents, and creators “guard knowledge” with their words and example. We talk about integrity in speech, equity in action, and why spiritual negligence causes others to stumble.

Then we turn to Malachi 3:5–6, where God’s justice lands against exploitation of workers, widows, orphans, and strangers. Justice isn’t a trend; it’s at the heart of biblical faith. Mercy becomes concrete in fair pay, protection for the vulnerable, and kindness to those who can’t repay us.

Threaded through every moment is a stabilizing anchor; “I am the Lord, I change not.” God’s unchanging character cuts through the churn of headlines and social feeds.

We share simple ways to refocus through prayer, scripture, worshipful music, and small daily acts of service that grow courage without noise. If you’ve felt shaken by fear or let down by leaders, this conversation offers clarity and a path forward. Repent where needed, rebuild trust with truth, and serve with steady love.

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SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Christ Quarter. I'm so glad you're here with me to take 15 minutes of this day to enjoy the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today let's read a section of scripture and discuss what it means and how it applies to our lives. It is my hope that God will speak to you through these words and bring you closer to Him. I am blessed to have this opportunity to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. I would like to stress the situation we currently find ourselves in. The news, the social media, and the people around us are scared or are trying to scare us. It is so important that we keep our focus on God and not let all these distractions affect us. Yes, we are in the world, and we need to use our God-given sense to be safe, to protect our loved ones and ourselves. But we are not of this world. Our source is not the government, nor is it Trump, nor is it Obama. Our source, our strength, and our peace is our God. Stay in prayer and peace. In these stressful times, let the world see more than ever that we are a peculiar people and we do not run with the twists and turns of the world. It is vital that we keep our hearts and minds focused on God. How can we do that when so much noise is constantly in our faces? Look for God in the noise. God is on social media and God is in the news. Choose to look for Him and His Word. Music is especially helpful in keeping our minds focused on God, while at the same time keeping our minds off the worries and distractions of the world. Of course, it is also important that we show God in our lives so that we are doing our part to further the family business, to plant the seeds of faith in others, seeds that may help others to turn to God. Keep 2 Timothy 1, verse 7 in your mind. The King James Version of that reads, For God had not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. God has given us the spirit of power, so let's use it. Do not be a victim of the world. Make the world better for yourself and for others. God has given us the spirit of love. Love is an emotion, but more importantly, it is an action word. Do something today for someone who needs to know that they are not alone. Provide for someone who is hungry or otherwise needs your help. God gave us the spirit of a sound mind. Do not be deceived by the world. We are in the world. But use that sound mind spirit that God gave us to make your way through the world. Today's scripture selection is Malachi chapter 2, verses 1 through 9, and Malachi chapter 3, verses 5 and 6. The King James Version reads as follows. And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts, and one shall take you away with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of Hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble at the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of Hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. 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. For I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the freedom and the ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you will use these words to bring someone closer to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The verses for today are shocking. God is shown here in ways that we do not normally want to see. We like to see the good parent who lets us do what we want and always forgives us no matter what. Today we see more of the loving parent who corrects us when we need it. We also see some of the angry, powerful parent who protects us when we need it. We cannot put God in a box. We can only talk with him and learn more of who he is and how he wants us to live. Having said that, today's verses are still shocking and somewhat difficult to accept. Regardless, God is God, his ways are not our ways. So let's get right to it. The first section of today's text, chapter 2, verses 1 through 4, reads, And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yea, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts, and one shall take you away with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of Hosts. Malachi wastes no time in getting to the point here. He calls out the priest and commands their attention right away. He then goes right into the fact that God is extremely displeased with their behavior and will send a curse upon them. That is not something we as Christians like to hear. The fact that God will send a curse is not something that is taught very much these days. We like to say that the God of the Old Testament was mean and hard. We like the God of the New Testament that's nice and easy and expects a little from us. The problem with that is that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and the same. Jesus was present in Genesis and throughout the Old Testament. He showed up in the flesh to fulfill the Old Testament. We still need to read and understand the Old Testament in order to fully understand who we are in Christ and who Jesus Christ is. Verses 2 and 3 are the verses I referred to earlier as being shocking. To hear that God will send a curse is a little unsettling, but to hear that God will spread dung on someone's face, wow, don't make our father mad. I don't take this spreading of dung literally, though. In my opinion, it is like hitting someone in the face with a pie. I view it as a cultural insult that the priests will understand and will be strongly affected by, so that they will understand that God is serious. But why is God mad? The priests addressed here today are blessed with the privilege of preparing offerings to God, but they have begun to view this as tiring and just work. They are not taking their God given work seriously and are ignoring the law of Moses. God is concerned with the condition of their hearts that they have fallen so far. God is saying here that their blessings will be cursed, so that their statements to the people will not be fulfilled. It may also mean that God will curse the harvest of the people, so that the portion that is to be given to the priests will be smaller. The second section of today's text, chapter two, verses five through nine, reads My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way, ye have caused many to stumble at the law. Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. In this section, Malachi is reminding the priest of the covenant that God made with Levi, blessings of life and peace. Malachi is also reminding the priest that Levi has certain traits that they are not representing. Priests are to speak truthfully. They are to walk with God in virtue and without deceit. They are to set an example for others and walk justly as best they can. They are not only God's voice, but also God's representative to the people. By neglecting their God given work, they are causing many to stumble. I think this is a big part of why God is angry. Not only are the priests behaving badly, but they are affecting others and blocking their growth. The exact opposite of what they are supposed to be doing. The last section of today's text, chapter three, verses five and six, reads, 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. For I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. In verse 5, I would like to stress the latter part of the verse, where God is showing coming judgment against those who take advantage of the worker, of the widow, of the fatherless, and of the stranger. God wants us to take care of those in our community who are vulnerable and to show mercy as he has shown us mercy. But I feel that God has a special place in his heart for the stranger, the person who has traveled to visit among us and is vulnerable, the person to whom we owe no allegiance, but who needs us. We do not gain from helping someone who is passing through town never to be seen again. But God is showing us here that we should not turn aside the stranger. It does not mean that we are to bring every stranger we meet into our homes, but it does mean that we should have mercy in our hearts for those whom we can help, especially the stranger. The last verse for today, verse six, has a sense of finality and a sense of mercy. I imagine the first part of the verse being stated in a loud, serious voice, I am the Lord. But the latter part is softer. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. It is as if God is saying, This is serious, but I'm telling you this for your own good. So move along and do better. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs chapter one, verse seven says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. So fear the Lord. The Lord is our powerful, fearsome Father, who loves us and wants the best for us. That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Let us pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.