Seek The Honour Of His Name
Malachi 3:13-18 and Psalm 56 (NIV)
(Jonathan Huang, Deputy Head of Administration)
READ:
Malachi 3:18 (NLT) “Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
Psalm 56:12-13a (NLT) 12I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. 13For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping.
OBSERVE:
In Malachi 3, the people of God were hearing about the Day of Judgment, when God would show who was righteous and who was not.
What made a nation righteous? It was faithfulness (Malachi 2), having those who feared God and sought the honour of his name (Malachi 3:16), and being obedient (v17).
The Psalmist also echoes this confidence, that God would rescue and uphold those who trust in God (v3-4, 11), and responds with faithfulness and obedience (v12).
APPLY:
As we celebrate our Church anniversary this week, both looking back at God’s blessings in our past, and our hope for our future, I ask myself – what should we do to be counted as righteous by our God at the end?
God has indeed blessed us, just as He has blessed the Israelites. However, the Israelites took God for granted and began to stray away, offering improper sacrifices, disobeying God’s instructions to remain faithful and committing social injustices.
At the end when God sees us, will He see a faithful church, one that is obedient and puts its trust in Him? I hope that we will continue to serve God faithfully, being obedient to Him, and in all that we do, seeking the honour of His name as our top priority.
DO:
Today, I will remind myself that faithfulness is the currency of success in God’s Kingdom, and I pray that Wesley Methodist Church will place God’s priority as our priority always, so that we may be counted as righteous at the end. Let us seek the honour of His name, in our church, our families, our society, and our whole lives.
PRAY:
Dear Lord, thank You for the bountiful blessings that You have showered on Wesley. Remind us that these themselves are not the measures of success, but that a faithful and obedient heart is what You desire. May we have the grace to remain faithful servants, and be counted righteous by You. Amen.
