Young children live in a world of immediate gratification. If they cry, parents pick them up and either comfort, change or feed them. The child’s world is happy again until the next crisis.
As they age, they expect the same response regarding the latest video game or permission to participate in a certain activity. As long as they receive the response they anticipated, everything is fine. A negative response can result in meltdown or in threats to leave home and find better parents.
As adults, we recognize that these responses are totally based on a “me mentality.” This “me mentality” holds everything must be for my benefit and must be instant. It is life being lived in the here and now for the benefit of the single individual who makes the demands and expects to receive fulfillment.
I wish these first two paragraphs were limited to only children. Sadly, that is not the case. The truth is many adults live with the same set of expectations. Those expectations are not just directed toward family, friends or coworkers around us, but also are directed towards God. Some people reach the point that if everything is not going their way, they blame God and decide it is useless to serve or follow God in their lives.
This is not something new in the 21st century. Malachi encountered the same type of thinking several centuries before the birth of Christ. In Malachi 3:13-15, the people had raised their voices to God to complain about their state in life. They viewed their serving God to be useless. They struggled to exist while the wicked seemed to prosper without any punishment from God.
These same arguments are heard today. Could it be we have grown to favor physical benefits more than spiritual benefits? Is it possible we have lost sight of the eternal and live only for the now?
For thought: Prayerfully, take a few minutes to clear your mind of what the world offers in terms of benefits and rewards. Now as a believer, what do you have in your life today because you have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ? My guess is the promise of eternal life, forgiveness of sin and God’s unconditional love were some of the first things listed. Did you also remember to list how that faith relationship affects your daily living in areas such as your values, ethics and family relationships?
My wife keeps a little book in which she records certain events from our lives and from our extended family. Vacation trips, moves, hospital stays and surgeries, special occasions and major purchases are just a few of the things recorded. The main reason she does this is because over time, we tend to forget some things that were either important or that we might need a record of their happening.
In Malachi 3:16-4:3, we are told two things of great significance. The first is that the people who remained faithful to God began to share all the ways God was blessing them and guiding them. These were recorded in a book of remembrances so they would not forget the goodness and blessings of God.
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
This is a little like our old hymn, “Count Your Many Blessings.” God knows how we serve him and are faithful to him, but we have a tendency to forget. Some people keep a prayer journal of requests and how those prayers were answered and when. It becomes a reminder God is constantly at work in and around our lives.
The second thing revealed in this passage is there will be a day when God reveals those who have been men and women of faith and those who are the wicked. It will not be determined by the amount of wealth or power a person has accumulated in life but rather by their faith relationship with the Living God.
For thought: Reflect upon the past five years of your life. What has God done in that period of time that makes a positive difference in who you are today? Maybe it is in integrity at work, faithfulness to your spouse or eyes that are now open to the needs of others around you.
This lesson concludes with the admonition to live by God’s instructions and to know God still is fulfilling his promises. Malachi 4:4-6 reminds us to keep the laws of God with a special emphasis on the Ten Commandments. At the same time, God promises he will send Elijah. We believe this promise is fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist who is the one who proclaims and points out Jesus.
Malachi 4:6 is confusing as to its exact meaning as it speaks of the hearts of fathers turned toward their children and the hearts of the children turned to their fathers. Two common thoughts are their faith is to return to that of their forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) or that growing closer to God strengthens all relationships including family.
To be clear, this is only my thought: Rodney Atkins had a hit country song a few years ago entitled “Watching You.” It is about a young boy learning how to live by imitating what he sees his father doing. If the father finds guidance for his life from God the Father, then the son is beginning his own life of being guided by God the Father. And that is not useless. Rather, it brings honor to God.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.