Scroll of Remembrance

I recently ran across an interesting Bible verse. Malachi 3:16 says,


"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."


Now prior to this there had been conversation between the people and God about them robbing God by not giving Him tithes and offerings. They had a crisis in their community about what they should do. That's when those who feared the LORD came together and talked with each other. Seems like a good idea.


When things come up in my life that I'm not sure how to handle, I like to talk it over with my family and friends. And of course, God. As the verse says, He listens and hears, not only what I talk over with Him, but also what I discuss with others. He hears the anguish, the frustration, the despair. It doesn't go unnoticed by my loving Father.


But the thing that I thought was really neat in this verse was that after the people talked it over, they made a scroll of remembrance of those who loved the Lord, and presented it to him. It made me pause and think of all those who have gone before me and left an eternal mark in my life. They made a difference just by caring about me and living like Jesus in front of me. They had that real faith that this blog is named after. The kind that not only impacted their lives, but also everyone around them.


I think of my Dad who died two and a half years ago. He love Jesus so much and everyone who came in contact with him knew there was something special about him. He really cared about them. He was a pharmacist who let the children who needed medicine help him count out the pills that would eventually help them get well. Or he'd let them choose the flavor of liquid medicine so it wouldn't be so hard for them to take. He'd offer words of encouragement and blessing to frazzled parents and weary elderly patients. He brightened their day. He handed out as many hugs as he did meds. He shone Jesus in all he did.


Then there's my fifth and sixth grade Sunday school teacher, Marge McPherson. She taught us Bible truths in fun ways, inventing electronic games for us far before they were in stores. Marge even cared about her students outside of the classroom. She'd see us before or after church and whisper ever-so-secretly, "The word of the day is Peanut Butter." She made us laugh. She continued to care even when we outgrew her class and moved on. She always had a joke, or a silly thought of the day. She made a difference in my life. She made me feel that church was a place I could just be me, not some perfect saint. She showed me that Christians can have fun.


My dad and Marge have a prominant place on my scroll of remembrance. There are countless others, some I may not have even met, like my grandma who died before I was born. But because she raised my mom to be a godly wife and mother, she impacted my life as well.


What about you? Who belongs on your scroll of remembrance? Write them down. Present them to God with thanksgiving. Then live in such a way that you'll be on someone else's scroll.