“Those
who feared The Lord spoke to one another, and The Lord listened and heard
them. So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear
The Lord and meditate on His Name. ‘They shall be Mine’, says The Lord of
hosts, ‘on the day I will make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a
man spares his own son who serves him’. Then you shall again discern
between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who
does not serve Him.” Malachi 3:16-18
This
assurance came to the people of The Lord as some had begun to question the need
to follow The Lord; “It is useless to serve God. What profit is it
that we have kept His ordinance …?”
I
suppose it is a daily question we ask ourselves more often implicitly by the
way we choose to conduct ourselves, believing we fall under the umbrella of
“grace” but with little or no regard for how others outside of the Covenant may
see us and perceive the God we claim to serve. We must never forget that
what many people know about The Lord has been gleaned from our conduct, we who
claim to believe. This most especially includes our own children and
grandchildren!
Yet
in Malachi’s context, there were still faithful persons who distanced
themselves from the many who took the easy road, the road that appears to hold
more promise than the unknown road traversed in faith. For their
faithfulness and for their fellowship (“those who feared The Lord spoke to
one another”), they were “remembered” and then claimed by The Lord; “They
shall be Mine.”
Jesus
never said following Him would be easy, but we do have the assurance that our
perseverance in faith will one day find its own reward; “Those who endure
to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). And the value
of the fellowship and support of the Church can never be overstated! We
need one another as surely as we need The Lord; to guide us, to direct us, to
support us, and even to correct us when we veer from the righteous Path.
So
shall we face the future unafraid, knowing The Lord will not turn His back on
His faithful – and counting on one another until the Final Trumpet sounds!
Blessings,
Michael
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