Good morning,
The scroll of remembrance
Like it or not we are finding ourselves living in times when our cultures and our secular training are doing their best to force us to live like the God of Creation never existed. Even in our churches we are being trained to do what will make people think of themselves as the center of life. What God tells us is good, has become an ugly way of life that makes the world around us angry and hate those who don’t follow their standards. Our Enemy gladly tries to corner us by asking us,‘What's the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the LORD Almighty that we are sorry for our sins?(Mal.3:14) God gave Malachi the answer that is still true for us today. Our Heavenly Father has planned all of time and eternity and has included his purposes for all his children in all the stages of history that we are going through. God also planned that we would be involved in the issues and challenges that would teach us to know and trust him as the God who know and cares about his own. God’s plan then and still now is, Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. We are all aware that God is with us day and night, but do we remember that he is listening to us as we talk about him to the people around us. How do we think that our Lover feels when our conversation with friends is all about our fears and discomforts instead of celebrating his goodness and love. He doesn’t just listen, In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.(v.16)
One of the benefits of unsettled times is the opportunity God gives us to be on his honor roll. The Lord showed Malachi that when people feared the Lord instead of the circumstances, their faith based conversations would get them on his honor roll. God knows that we are sinners, but what He longs for us to demonstrate is our love and faith in ways that make his name honored and his character shine. When our hearts are right with him and our faith is focused on him, our words will clearly show our respect for him. God ordered that a scroll of remembrance be written as eternal proof of the genuine heart based love of those who would be eternally rewarded for their faith. When the just Judge rules all of mankind, those who refused to genuinely love and obey him will find themselves assigned to a pain filled eternity. But for those whose names are in found in this scroll God says, “They will be my people,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.(v.17) Dear Lord, please help us to remember his honor roll when we are tempted to focus on the challenges of life in time and not his faithfulness in time and eternity.
Malachi 3:17 “They will be my people,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.
Roy Wisner
