When

"Says the Lord of heaven's armies: They belong to me. On that day they will be my very own," Malachi 3:17.

Who? Who belong to God? These: People who honor the Lord. Who fear the Lord. Who esteem the Lord's name. And in what ways do they respect God? Two ways. Way one: These talk with each other. (Talk about what? God's loyalty, of course!, his faithfulness!) Way two: These do not bad-mouth God. They do not buy into vulgar talk that claims it's pointless to serve God since the bad guys keep on winning. No, not at all. Quite the contrary: these God-honoring people become his treasure. God's treasured possession. When will we see it? (Here's the call for perseverance). When? When he does it. Obviously.

We visit with one another today confessing God's loyalty to us, his own people. And, together, we honor the Lord of the sky kingdom whose armies ever serve his purposes in his time.