Malachi 3:13-15 is a fascinating passage from the Bible that I wanted to
look at this morning.
13 “ Your words have been harsh against Me,”
Says the LORD,
“ Yet you say,
‘ What have we spoken against You?’
14 You have said,
‘ It is useless to serve God;
What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance,
And that we have walked as mourners
Before the LORD of hosts?
15 So now we call the proud blessed,
For those who do wickedness are raised up;
They even tempt God and go free.’”
Now, that sounds like the conversations that I hear exchanged
on the news at night by those discussing religion. "Why would I
want to follow God?" "What will it do for me?" From today's
news papers you can see the proud being held up as wonderful.
Think about the role models that our kids have nowadays. A role
model used to be someone who did right, and we wanted to be
like them. Now, it is the one who has the most money, the most toys,
or the most friends. They are lifted high on our shoulders and treated
like heroes for "beating the system."
But, continuing on with that same chapter it says,
16 Then 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 who meditate on His name.
17 “ They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts,
“ On the day that I make them My jewels.
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
18 Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.
We need to be His. In order to be His, we have to pay attention
to His things, and do it His way. We place importance on how
much money someone makes, or the type of films they make, or the
way they sing, but the Bible says that is all worthless, if you don't have
God.
We already have all the role model we need. Even the great writer
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
Give that some thought today, and everyday.
