Malachi 3: 13-18 The Message“God says, “You have spoken hard, rude words to me. You ask, ‘When did we ever do that?’When you said, ‘It doesn’t pay to serve God. What do we ever get out of it? When we did what he said and went around with long faces, serious about God-of-the-Angel-Armies, what difference did it make? Those who take life into their own hands are the lucky ones. They break all the rules and get ahead anyway. They push God to the limit and get by with it.’”
Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God’s presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God’s name.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, “They’re mine, all mine. They’ll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them. Once more you’ll see the difference it makes between being a person who does the right thing and one who doesn’t, between serving God and not serving him.”
Recently, while reading through the book of Malachi with She Reads Truth, I was deeply convicted as well as deeply encouraged as I read this passage from chapter three. In this passage we see two groups of people-the God accusers and the God honorers. The God accusers are upset at God for what they see as unfairness. Why isn't life better for the obedient than for the disobedient? Why do the disobedient get away with the way they live? I get it. I want to see the wicked punished and the righteous blessed. I get upset when those who love and serve God suffer and I get upset when I don't see God's justice against wrongdoers. Until I'm the one who does wrong-then I want God to be merciful and long-suffering!
The God honorers talk about God when they get together. Obviously, God listens and hears the mumbling and complaining of the God accusers, because in this passage He's correcting them about it. But when the God honorers get together and talk about God with one another, God doesn't just listen, He takes notes! God writes down the names of the God honorers and makes them a promise. He tells them that when The Day comes when He makes wrong things right, when evil is judged and righteousness is rewarded, He will give the God honorers special treatment. He will call them His own and as a good and loving Father, He will show them His kindness and consideration. They will see clearly that serving God and living righteously has been worth it.
I want with all of my heart to be a God honorer. I don't want to fall into the snare of satan, who is an accuser by nature, and listen to his accusations against God. That's how sin came into this world. satan accused God to Adam and Eve of withholding something good from them. They listened to his accusations and believed his lies and ate his bait. Literally.
God is listening to what we say about Him. I tremble to think of Him having to correct me for speaking hard, rude words about Him as He did to the God accusers in the book of Malachi. But, I get excited to think of being on God's list of God honorers and of there being a book of remembrance of all of the God honoring things I've said about Him. My heart's desire is to be a God honorer and when I get to heaven I want to see that book that is filled with notes of the God honoring things I've said about Him. I pray it's a really, really thick one!
There are those days, but then the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit reminds that we are to Love even the unlovable, which is very hard to do at times. I admit, I have wondered and watch as those who just throw caution to the wind and seem to get everything, and then I remind myself that I am a jealous person and that needs reined in, and am also guilty. I'm clueless as to what God would write about me, but I like that your post reminds. I need to read this chapter.
ReplyDeleteWe all have these struggles, I think. This passage makes me, with God's help, want to be aware of when I'm listening to the enemy's lies and accusations against God and to make choice to speak aloud to others of God's goodness.
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