Scroll of Remembrance
I’ve often wondered how we might react if we were given even a momentary or actual glimpse of eternal life in God’s kingdom? I suspect that it may be so incredibly inviting, that we’d willingly loosen up our grip on this life. In fact, for those of us in the throws of any misery the temptation to discard this life might become too great. I know that God doesn’t want us to throw away or to waste any part of this precious gift of life. I know this because our choices in this life are a prerequisite to what has in mind for us. “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32, 33 NIV). So our glimpses of heaven are at best well masked and at worst, non-existent. In a world where, who we know often carries more initial weight than what we know, we should take this biblical hint to heart. Most jobs of any value require personal references, which can be even more difficult to come by than professional testimonials. If we can’t gather a few personal references, we aren’t going to get into that highly coveted position. Accordingly, we’ll go out of our way to speak well of the boss, to do what he suggests, to be there when he needs us. This process is made even easier when we have a kind, reasonable and fair supervisor. In fact, when we have a great supervisor, we are probably already “in” that highly coveted position.
Like our ancestors before us, we’ve been often troubled and confused by the role that God plays in our lives. We’ve sought understanding, clarification, even mercy and been left to wonder at times if anyone hears us. Might we have been “disowned” by our Lord? Have we failed to secure our most critical personal reference? “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.“(Malachi 3:16 NIV). Acknowledging Jesus Christ is an act of commitment, not a spoken phrase. It involves going out of our way to speak well of Him openly, doing as He suggests, being there for Him when He needs us and serving Him by doing what He does, serving as needed. The scroll of remembrance, mentioned in Malachi 3:16 is to be our letter of reference, our key to that most coveted position. If we’ve feared (revered) Our Lord and persevered in our acknowledgement and pursuit of Him, our names are already on His scroll.
JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE
No Comments