A FORMER TEACHER of mine used to say that if we sang more about heaven we would want to go there more. He was probably right. And if we would talk more about the good things God has done for us we would most likely appreciate them more and be more aware of all His blessings. We are so busy making a living and spending it that we grow careless with reference to God and His affairs. The problem is not a bad heart. It is that we are frequently careless and forgetful.
Malachi, the last writing prophet of the Old Testament, makes this statement which has long appealed to me “Then they that feared the Lord spake often to one 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” (3:16).
I am not quite sure what Malachi had in mind, but the passage is beautiful to think about. One imagines a community of people — all in love with God and each other. Often they talk to each other about God and His blessings. It seems too utopian for this world. But I suspect that it is to be fulfilled in us anyway — in the same way the beautiful passages about the peaceable kingdom describe the spiritual state of those who are in Christ.
The first Christians spent time together. They ate together. In fact, at one point they had “all things common” (Acts 2:44). Now that is somewhat impractical for us today, but surely we can find room for improvement in principle. Too frequently our conversations differ little from those of clean-living people who do not know Christ. Surely we have something worth talking about!
Let’s talk more about God’s grace to us. Let’s talk more about the blessings God gives now. We are a family in Christ. We need to share each other’s good times, as well as bad ones. We are to bear each other’s burdens, but also to rejoice together (Galatians 6:2; Romans 12: 10-16). The church is not just a religious club with meetings to attend and dues to pay. It is a family of God. It is a community. It is a fellowship.
Let’s overcome our inhibitions and treat one another like brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let’s take advantage of opportunities to read God’s word — privately and together. Let’s all pray more — individually and in groups. Let’s make each occasion of togetherness an opportunity to say something about God and Christ and eternal life. Let’s take our Christianity seriously — let’s get excited about it! After all, it is the best news in the world.
The world is lost in sin and Satan is running the show for most people. Our Captain has already whipped the Devil, but is allowing him a final fling before the end. God is our Father and Christ is alive! We should be the happiest people in the world. With so much good to say, let’s resolve to talk more about it all!
A book of remembrance is being written before the Lord. Is your name in it?