“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 honored God’s name.
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.”
Malachi 3:16-18 MSG
I love that name of God…God-of-The-Angel-Armies! It’s a name you don’t mess with. It’s a name that commands respect and honor. It’s a name that has all the armies of angels at His beckoned call.
And in Malachi, we see that the God-of-The-Angel-Armies is listening in to the ones who honored Him, as they opened a book in God’s presence, which had all the names of the God-fearers written down.
Then, the God-of-The-Angel-Armies proclaims, “They’re mine. All mine.”
That utterance alone gives me comfort. That alone gives me joy. God, of all power and might, declares that I, a God-fearer, am His. And He does it with exuberance. (Like kids, when they have something they really, really like, and someone tries to take it away.)
Then, He uses the parent/child relationship, as an analogy. God gives us special treatment, like we do our children, when we honor and respect Him. And that’s direct from the God-of-Angel-Armies! (Steep in that thought for awhile.)
God wants us to know what a difference it makes being a person who does the right thing, compared to one who does the wrong thing. One who serves Him, compared to those who don’t.
That’s because He loves us with a Father’s love…always looking for a way to give His children special treatment.
He has already claimed us as His! Our response? A grateful heart, full of honor and respect.
