Sunday
School Lessons
Commentary by Walter Albritton
August 17
God Expects Us to Serve Him by Living a Righteous Life
Malachi 3 – 4
Key Verses: You shall see the
difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and
one who does not serve him. – Malachi 3:18
The
Bible is consistent. God created us. He has given us a Book that outlines his
plan for our lives. He expects us to
obey him. He holds us accountable for the way we live. Ultimately, God will
judge us, at which time he will reward us for righteous living or punish us for
our wickedness.
Whether
you turn to Malachi or to Matthew, the message is the same. There are two ways
to live. One way is to serve God. The other way is to ignore God and do
whatever brings us pleasure. One way is the way of the righteous; the other is
the way of the wicked.
The
Psalmist drives home this same truth in the first Psalm. One man walks “in the
counsel of the wicked;” the other delights “in the law of the Lord.” Finally,
the outcome is certain: “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:6).
Some
people imagine that God is a casual observer of the affairs of men. He has
created us and given us the freedom to make whatever choices we wish to make.
These people believe God loves us, and because he loves us, he will not punish
us, much less allow any of us to go to hell.
Jesus
paints a different picture. He speaks of sheep and goats. He speaks, as Malachi
did, of righteousness and wickedness. Jesus makes it clear that God will hold
us accountable for the way we live. If we choose to serve God, and obey him,
then our reward will be eternal life. If, on the other hand, we choose not to
serve God and live without love for our brothers, then we will “go away to
eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46).
Our
Lord taught eternal truth by using contrasts. He spoke of good fruit and bad
fruit, of darkness and light, and of houses built on rock and on sand. He
described a wayward son and one who did not squander his wealth “in wild
living.” The decisions we make result in consequences for ourselves and others,
in this life, and the next.
How
we live matters – and matters eternally. Our choices determine our eternal
destiny. Two young men chose to use
drugs. Needing money to support their habit, they began robbing and stealing.
Finally, they were arrested and charged with murder. They gunned down a man in
his own front yard – for money to buy drugs. Now, because of their choices,
they are facing life in prison or perhaps even execution for their crimes.
Most
of us are not tempted to steal money to support a drug habit. Nonetheless, we
should carefully examine our attitude toward our money and our attitude toward
the poor in our society. The decisions we make can affect the poor. What we do
about the poor, or “the least of our brothers,” will have a bearing, according
to Jesus, on our eternal destiny.
One
decision that those of us in
Presently
in
May
God give us the grace so to live that people may see in our lives the
difference between righteousness and wickedness. And may we be known as people
who have chosen to serve God! + + + +