"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name."
Malachi 3:16
Take sometime today to think about this next line of text which I am about to write; God knows and sees all that we do… Often times we (for whatever reason) think that we can get over on God, we come to a conclusion that if we do just enough in church God will be pleased, or if we read just enough throughout the week that everything will be okay… The bible constantly reminds us that God looks at the heart of man, the acts that you do on this earth isn’t what God notes, but the thoughts that spur your actions are what God is watching… If you give simply for someone to see your act of kindness the bible says that you have already received your reward; however, if you sow a seed with a desire not to gain popularity from men than God will reward your deeds because you are truly doing them from the kindness of your heart… This is why we are instructed in the gospel of Matthew to be secretive in our giving, the word says “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
So many of us do things to be seen and praised by men and Jesus told that those who do that have already received their reward… Understanding this in today’s time means that we must stop doing things to get a rise out of people, we must stop trying to inflate our own egos and we must stop trying to “trick” God… This verse begins with saying, “Then they that feared the Lord…” Fear is something that is in the heart, if it is not embedded in your soul or stored within than it is not sincere, it is not genuine and it is not pure… David said that a broken and contrite heart God will not despise; know today that if you want to truly walk in the will of God it must come from within… You must have a sincere respect, reverence and appreciation for God and His sovereignty… Malachi teaches us today not only that God is looking for sincerity, but that He has a book of remembrance for those who fear Him… In your reverence to the Lord, all your deeds, all your acts of humility and all your tears of sacrifice are recorded; just like Abraham they will be counted as righteousness… Do to your servitude you can have a heavenly bank account that overflows… The key to obtaining this is “…fearing the Lord…”When you have a heart that is crying out to God, a heart that yearns in admiration of the Lord; you will see that next thing spoken of by the prophet Malachi take place and that is that “…the Lord will hearken and hear you…”
The Lord desires to give you life and make your life complete. He desires to take you to another level, but He’s waiting for you to fear Him and speak His word… Jesus Christ laid down His life on the cross for all those who would turn to Him… We are justified not by what we do, but by the faith that we have in Him… It is important for us to know that God remembers the day that you “sincerely” gave your life to Christ, He remembers the hour that you turned and followed Him and He knows the path that you have chosen to walk… At the end our lives we all will stand before Him and give a (n) account for our life; it is good to know that He will know all the things that we have done if we have chosen to walk with Him; however, it is bad to know that He will know obviously if we haven’t lived according to His will… The steps you take this day are recorded, the avenues and paths you walk have been written down and if you are walking with the Lord know that just as Malachi says even though you may experience ups and downs highs and lows God has “…heard it…” God knows what you stand in need of, He knows the battles you have faced and the trials that you have overcome, He has seen the storms that have approached your door and at the end He will justify you through the blood of Jesus and say “come on in…” Keep holding on, keep believing, God hears your sincere and affectionate prayers and He will answer… Be encouraged, God is listening with pen in hand noting the needs you have and meeting them everyday!!!
ALL FOR HIS GLORY!
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