Why We Live This Way

The story is told by a church leader that when his children were younger, as they would be on their way to church they would occasionally pass a car pulling a boat. His children would ask, "Why can't we got waterskiing today instead of to church?"

He said that most of the time he would try to remind his children how much happier they were because of their church activity.

One Sunday they passed a family who was excitedly loading their skiis into their car. One of his sons looked at him, and said with a sly grin, "They're not really happy, huh Dad?"

Our children often wonder how it is that people who choose not to obey God's commandments are not "punished" for their lack of obedience. It seems pretty obvious that people who break the Sabbath by spending their day on the lake in a boat instead of worshipping at church should not be able to have fun, right?

While an immediate system of cause & effect like that might seem at first glance to be attractive, it doesn't fit in with God's ultimate desire that we exercise agency in our decisions here on earth. If there was a negative consequence—a punishment—every time we broke one of God's commandments, we would probably stop breaking them. But it would be because of our fear of the consequence—not because of our love for God. And ultimately God doesn't want our fearful obedience, he wants our loving obedience. He wants our hearts.

In Sunday School this week we read some verses from Malachi that covered this topic that I had never really noticed before. I thought it was beautiful, and so for Family Night last night we discussed these verses.

I'm using the NIV translation, although we were using the KJV in Sunday School. In Malachi 3:14 & 15 it reads:

You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty?

But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.'

I think we all wonder about this. Why is it that people who don't even seem to know the Lord thrive? Why aren't some who are devout believers blessed more?

The next verses, 16-17, have a lovely answer.

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.

"On the day when I act," says the LORD Almighty, "they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

In the KJV verse 17 says:

"And they shall be mine," saith the Lord of Hosts, "in that day when I make up my jewels..."

It is so easy to forget what the real purpose of life is. To think that the greatest good is ease, or entertainment, or financial well-being. Certainly all of those things have their place. But here is the real purpose of life—to live so that in the end God will say of me "she is my treasured possession," "she is one of my jewels." How beautiful is that?

(Lindsay, thanks for a great lesson, and as always, for making me think!)