1. FAULTS OFTEN OVERLOOKED Sun, Mar 22

a. Of what tendency toward selfish greed might we be guilty? Malachi 1:8. “Many have indulged in needless expense, merely to gratify the feelings, the taste, and the eye, when the cause needed the very means thus used, and when some of the servants of God were poorly clothed and were crippled in their labor for lack of means. Said the angel: ‘Their time to do will soon be past. Their works show that self is their idol, and to it they sacrifice.’ Self must first be gratified; their feeling is: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ Warning after warning many have received, but heeded not. Self is the main object, and to it everything must bow.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 115. b. In stark contrast to the cultural practices of today’s society, how does God view the tender, sacred commitment of marriage? Malachi 2:12–16; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:4–6. “Study to advance the happiness of each other. Let there be mutual love, mutual forbearance. Then marriage, instead of being the end of love, will be as it were the very beginning of love.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 360.

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2. THE REFINING PROCESS Mon, Mar 23

a. Explain the prophetic fulfillment of Malachi 3:1–3; John 2:13–16. “In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the Messiah. . . . The courts of the temple at Jerusalem, filled with the tumult of unholy traffic, represented all too truly the temple of the heart, defiled by the presence of sensual passion and unholy thoughts. In cleansing the temple from the world’s buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin—from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 161.“God would have His servants become acquainted with the moral machinery of their own hearts. In order to bring this about, He often permits the fire of affliction to assail them that they may become purified. . . . ”“The purification of the people of God cannot be accomplished without their suffering. God permits the fires of affliction to consume the dross, to separate the worthless from the valuable, that the pure metal may shine forth. He passes us from one fire to another, testing our true worth. If we cannot bear these trials, what will we do in the time of trouble? If prosperity or adversity discover falseness, pride, or selfishness in our hearts, what shall we do when God tries every man’s work as by fire, and lays bare the secrets of all hearts?”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 85. b. Name some ways in which God’s people are rebuked for forgetting Him, and what does robbing God truly involve? Malachi 3:5–8; James 1:27; Luke 12:15; Proverbs 3:9,10. “We must deliberately resolve that we will honor God with our substance; and then we must let nothing tempt us to rob Him of the tithes and offerings that are His due. We must be intelligent, systematic, and continuous in our acts of charity to men and our expressions of gratitude to God for His bounties to us. This is too sacred a duty to be left to chance or to be controlled by impulse or feeling. We should regularly reserve something for God’s cause, that He may not be robbed of the portion which He claims. When we rob God we rob ourselves also. We give up the heavenly treasure for the sake of having more of this earth. This is a loss that we cannot afford to sustain. If we live so that we can have the blessing of God we shall have His prospering hand with us in our temporal affairs, but if His hand is against us He can defeat all our plans and scatter faster than we can gather.”—Ibid, vol. 5, pp. 271, 272.

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3. METICULOUS RECORDS Tue, Mar 24

a. Name some blessings resulting from the return of a faithful tithe and liberal offerings—and explain our need to avoid delay in this. Malachi 3:10–12. “Deathbed charity is not what Christ requires of His followers; it cannot excuse the selfishness of the living. Those who hold fast their property till the last moment, surrender it to death rather than to the cause. Losses are occurring continually. Banks fail, and property is consumed in very many ways. Many purpose to do something, but they delay the matter, and Satan works to prevent the means from coming into the treasury at all. It is lost before it is returned to God, and Satan exults that it is so.“If you would do good with your means, do it at once lest Satan get it in his hands and thus hinder the work of God. Many times, when the Lord has opened the way for brethren to handle their means to advance His cause, the agents of Satan have presented some enterprise by which they were positive the brethren could double their means. They take the bait; their money is invested, and the cause, and frequently themselves, never receive a dollar.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 154. b. What painfully accurate record of ourselves should we determine to see blotted out? Ecclesiastes 12:14; Isaiah 65:6, 7. c. Besides having their names in the book of life, what reveals the deeds in God’s record of His faithful children? Malachi 3:16; Psalm 56:8. “ ‘A book of remembrance’ is written before God, in which are recorded the good deeds of ‘them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name.’ Malachi 3:16. Their words of faith, their acts of love, are registered in heaven. Nehemiah refers to this when he says: ‘Remember me, O my God, . . . and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God.’ Nehemiah 13:14. In the book of God’s remembrance every deed of righteousness is immortalized. There every temptation resisted, every evil overcome, every word of tender pity expressed, is faithfully chronicled. And every act of sacrifice, every suffering and sorrow endured for Christ’s sake, is recorded.”—The Great Controversy, p. 481.

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4. RIGHTEOUSNESS REVEALED Wed, Mar 25

a. What joy does God express toward His faithful people, and how can we reflect that joy in our character and deeds? Malachi 3:17; Matthew 25:34–40. “When hearts sympathize with hearts burdened with discouragement and grief, when the hand dispenses to the needy, when the naked are clothed, the stranger made welcome to a seat in your parlor and a place in your heart, angels are coming very near, and an answering strain is responded to in heaven. Every act of justice, mercy, and benevolence makes melody in heaven. The Father from His throne beholds those who do these acts of mercy, and numbers them with His most precious treasures.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 25. b. How do we know the distinction between the wicked and the righteous is soon to be fully apparent? Malachi 3:18; Revelation 22:11, 12. “ ‘The heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself.’ Psalm 50:6. That holy law, God’s righteousness, that amid thunder and flame was proclaimed from Sinai as the guide of life, is now revealed to men as the rule of judgment. The hand opens the tables, and there are seen the precepts of the Decalogue, traced as with a pen of fire. The words are so plain that all can read them. Memory is aroused, the darkness of superstition and heresy is swept from every mind, and God’s ten words, brief, comprehensive, and authoritative, are presented to the view of all the inhabitants of the earth.“It is impossible to describe the horror and despair of those who have trampled upon God’s holy requirements. The Lord gave them His law; they might have compared their characters with it and learned their defects while there was yet opportunity for repentance and reform; but in order to secure the favor of the world, they set aside its precepts and taught others to transgress. They have endeavored to compel God’s people to profane His Sabbath. Now they are condemned by that law which they have despised. With awful distinctness they see that they are without excuse. . . .“Too late they see the true nature of their spurious sabbath and the sandy foundation upon which they have been building. They find that they have been fighting against God. Religious teachers have led souls to perdition while professing to guide them to the gates of Paradise.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 639, 640.

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5. THE LAST CHAPTER Thu, Mar 26

a. Describe the final destiny of evildoers. Malachi 4:1–3. b. What final appeal does God send from the minor prophets? Malachi 4:5, 6. “It is earthliness and selfishness that separate from God. The messages from heaven are of a character to arouse opposition. The faithful witnesses for Christ and the truth will reprove sin. Their words will be like a hammer to break the flinty heart, like a fire to consume the dross. There is constant need of earnest, decided messages of warning. God will have men who are true to duty. At the right time He sends His faithful messengers to do a work similar to that of Elijah.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 254.“Not until parents themselves walk in the law of the Lord with perfect hearts will they be prepared to command their children after them. A reformation in this respect is needed—a reformation which shall be deep and broad. Parents need to reform; ministers need to reform; they need God in their households. If they would see a different state of things, they must bring His word into their families and must make it their counselor. They must teach their children that it is the voice of God addressed to them, and is to be implicitly obeyed. They should patiently instruct their children, kindly and untiringly teach them how to live in order to please God. The children of such a household are prepared to meet the sophistries of infidelity. They have accepted the Bible as the basis of their faith, and they have a foundation that cannot be swept away by the incoming tide of skepticism.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 143.“A well-ordered Christian household is a powerful argument in favor of the reality of the Christian religion—an argument that the infidel cannot gainsay. . . . If the homes of professed Christians had a right religious mold, they would exert a mighty influence for good. They would indeed be the ‘light of the world.’ ”—Ibid., p. 144.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS Fri, Mar 27

1. Whether married or not, how can I reinforce God’s plan for marriage? 2. In what ways am I seeing evidence of God’s purification process in me? 3. Name the three record books mentioned in the courts of Heaven. 4. How can I bring joy to the heart of heavenly intelligences? 5. What is the most powerful sermon that is called for in these last days?