Choose God

Malachi is a rebuke. It’s a rebuke to a group of people who had fallen into routines and no longer realized the significance of their actions. It’s a rebuke to those of us who equate Christianity to citizenship and never move beyond set patterns. But Malachi is also about hope. As the book draws to a close, there’s a reminder to the faithful: “ ‘They will be Mine,’ says the LORD of Hosts, ‘a special possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.’ ”

Did you catch that? We’re God’s treasured possession. Malachi reminds us that God has our names written in His book of remembrance. Because we are His, even in difficult times, He keeps us in His special care. When we grasp how truly special we are to God, we respond with honor and humility to His work and guidance in our lives.

Malachi addresses heart issues. The priests’ and peoples’ attitudes didn’t align with their actions. Their sacrifices and religious actions lacked sincerity. In short, they failed to honor God. Often the simple act of recognizing that your attitude is wrong goes a long way toward fixing it. Admitting your error to God is in itself an act of humility. When we acknowledge to God the shortcomings in our attitudes, then He will be faithful over time to develop the right heart in us. We remain humble, He remains active, and we remain in active relationship with each other. It’s a relationship rooted in mutual honor, respect, and love.

Here are the Web links for this week:

• If you haven’t seen Akeelah and the Bee, check out the official movie trailer.
• Here’s an interesting interview with the Downhere and the story behind their album, “On the Altar of Love,” which features this week’s playlist song.