Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. English Standard Version (ESV)
As I sat down in front of my computer this morning I was thinking of Friday's post which led me to think of how Jesus Christ is worthy of our praise and the old hymn "Praise the Savior Ye Who Know Him" came to mind. As we prepare our hearts to head out for a worship service the hymn serves as a good reminder that we are called to praise Him and worship Him.
| 1 | Praise the Savior, ye who know Him! Who can tell how much we owe Him? Gladly let us render to Him All we are and have. |
| 2 | Jesus is the name that charms us; He for conflicts fits and arms us; Nothing moves and nothing harms us When we trust in Him. |
| 3 | Trust in Him, ye saints, forever; He is faithful, changing never; Neither force nor guile can sever Those He loves from Him. |
| 4 | Keep us, Lord, oh, keep us cleaving To Thyself and still believing, Till the hour of Thy receiving The victorious Bride. |
The first stanza reminds us to consider "how much we owe Him", a debt that can never be repaid, but also reminds us that what we do give back should be given joyfully, not begrudgingly or out of duty, but out of love and gratitude for how great He is and how much He loves us.
The last stanza is of praise but it is also a prayer, showing our desire to remain close to Him, to abide in Him as individuals and as a church. We gather as a group to speak to one another, to share testimony of what God has done and is doing in our lives and to praise Him for it. Matthew Henry's commentary on today's verse points out that we choose who we associate with and as a church we come not to judge but to show our joy and appreciation for our faithful, never changing Savior.
The passage in Malachi reminds us that God is taking note of those who are gathering for worship and are doing the right thing by doing so. We are not to worry about what others may choose to do, how they will spend their Sunday or weekend, but "Let us gladly render" our time, our praise and worship to Him today, He knows and takes note of those who do.
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
Malachi 3:13-18The Message (MSG)
The Difference Between Serving God and Not Serving Him
13 God says, "You have spoken hard, rude words to me.
"You ask, 'When did we ever do that?'
14-15 "When you said, 'It doesn't pay to serve God. What do we ever get out of it? When we did what he said and went around with long faces, serious about God-of-the-Angel-Armies, what difference did it make? Those who take life into their own hands are the lucky ones. They break all the rules and get ahead anyway. They push God to the limit and get by with it.'"
16 Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over.God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God's presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honoredGod's name.
17-18 God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, "They're mine, all mine. They'll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them. Once more you'll see the difference it makes between being a person who does the right thing and one who doesn't, between serving God and not serving him."
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