Malachi 3:16 16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
In our society of surveillance we have gotten used to our actions being recorded. We might not like it, but we don’t use spray paint to block every camera that peers into our lives. We don’t carry signal jammers in our pockets to prevent the transmission of data. We don’t sweep our hotel rooms for bugs.
But we don’t have to live in China right now where every action is closely monitored by the government. Every transaction in a store, every conversation with other people, they are recorded in their records. This is especially true for those with low social credit scores.
But even in China some things aren’t recorded. You can get away from the cameras and surveillance. But you have to work at it. But there are those who do have private lives, private activities, private thoughts.
But there are some things we want recorded. Most of us like our accomplishments to be recorded, acknowledged, appreciated. We may not want a public ceremony to mark the deed, but we at least want to know that someone noticed it.
Even when we do something with the best motives, for the best reasons, in the best way, we can get caught in the trap of needing to be noticed. When that happens it can become easy to flip our motives, reasons and ways to accommodate our new and growing need to be noticed. Then our efforts become at least partially motivated by that need to be noticed.
My name is written in the official files in Florida as a resident, a business owner, a property owner, and a licensed marriage and family therapist. I willingly had my name placed on the last list so that I could offer my therapy services in the State. And I chose the engage in the other areas, so I guess I signed up for them as well.
In our text, as Malachi calls to repentance the People of the LORD, he records that there is a list of those, his contemporaries, who have signed up, volunteered to live life at the next level. They have signed up to fully follow the LORD in full obedience, without compromise. Their names have been entered in the ‘scroll of remembrance’ for all to see, even future generations.
And it was good to be on this list of names. It was a small, exclusive group. There were requirements in order to be included in the list. If your name was on that list then you would be protected from future judgments. God’s blessing would be on them even as the LORD withheld blessing from the rest. And this difference would be seen by all and would result in a testimony regarding the faithfulness and character of the LORD.
Of one thing we can be sure, the LORD notices. He has a list. And the way to get on that list is to wholeheartedly follow Jesus and be reconciled to Him. Then all the blessings associated with Him will fall on us.
Even at the end of the age a list will be pulled out and examined. And those whose names are included on that role, they will get entrance into the new heaven and the new earth. And I want to experience that. How about you?