THOSE THAT FEAR THE LORD

“Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.”
Malachi 3:16
(The Amplified Bible)

Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” The word unity means ‘union; or alike.’ How refreshing it is to be in the assembly of the saints when there is like-mindedness, oneness, agreement and unity. Psalm 133:3 says, “for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.”
In the book of Malachi, the Bible begins to describe two groups of people and their response to God’s call to repentance. One group speaks harshly of God and says “We think proud people are happy. Evil people succeed. They do bad things to test God's patience--and God does not punish them” (Malachi 3:15). Their disdain and insolence towards God was not done in ignorance, but done willfully with pride and arrogance. They did not care if God heard their words! They spoke against God, His design, authority, order, and desired to infect the minds of others against him. However, when God calls them to give an account, they act as if they don’t know what he is talking about. Unconvinced and prideful, they justified their actions instead of simply repenting and turning to the Lord.
In contrast, the assembly of the upright and the congregation of the saints had three distinct characteristics. First, they feared the Lord. They respected and reverenced God’s order, His ways, and His counsel and submitted to His authority. Secondly, they thought upon His name. His name represents His character. They thought on all of His characteristics, Healer, Provider, Righteousness, Sanctifier, Peace, More Than Enough and on and on. Finally, they spoke often one to another about the Lord. The fellowshipped and edified one another so that in the midst of abounding iniquity, their love would not wane. Psalm 111:1 says, “I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation” (Psalm 111:1). In response, God hears and writes a book of remembrance in their honor and promises they will be part of his special treasure and share in His glory (v. 17).
Align with other like-minded believers and speak of the goodness of God. Meditate on His character. Ask God to order divine encounters for edification and true fellowship. Add pages to the book of remembrance and continue to walk in fear the Lord.