Malachi 3:18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

This is a justly famous chapter, but I think we need to look at it more deeply than just verse 10, as pointed as that is. It is actually God responding very helpfully to the question of the people in verse seven: “How shall we return?” God was calling them to repentance through Malachi, and the people wanted to know how to do that. It bears saying again and again, but genuine repentance always involves changed behavior. In this particular instance, the people had been placing finances ahead of obedience to God, and God was reminding them where their finances came from in the first place. That is common enough today, as well! As was the case everywhere before the Industrial Age, it was a largely agricultural economy, and there seems to have been a crop failure, either from drought or locusts or a combination thereof. We deal with such things as market downturns, corrupt government, and inflation, but the principles are the same. In this verse, God was reminding them that there really are benefits to following His rules. It’s not at all that good people won’t have problems – Jesus was very explicit about that (John 16:33) – but that the blows to society are often softened for the individual who places God first. That said, the person who has it worst-off in countries like Japan or America today lives in more luxury than kings did in Malachi’s day! We need to recognize the blessing we have, and give God the credit, gratitude, and obedience He deserves!

This feels very close to home for me. I feel incredibly blessed, with a wife who really loves me, children doing well, and all my needs met. However, I can’t take credit for it all, and I still find things to get upset about. I do seek to serve God, but my wife serves Him no less than I do, and her health is orders of magnitude worse than mine. I seek to stay healthy so I can take care of her! That said, people do notice my blessings, and they comment on them. I need to be consistent in pointing people to God, for indeed, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) I am not to preach a “prosperity gospel,” but I am to let people know that serving God is not in vain, either for this world or the next.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Sometimes I feel conflicted over the abundance of Your provision, even though we would not be considered wealthy by the world’s standards. Help me be a faithful steward not only of the material things You provide but also of the abilities and opportunities You give me, so that every one of Your gifts to me may accomplish through me exactly what You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!