Futile?

Sometimes as we follow God, we become disappointed and discouraged. And if we’re not careful, it’s easy to become cynical as well.

That’s what happened to the Israelites. They were saying to themselves,

It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?

But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it. (Malachi 3:14–15)

Perhaps they thought they were doing all that God had required of them.

They went to the temple. They made sacrifices. They celebrated the Jewish festivals commanded by the Law of Moses.

But they weren’t seeing blessing in their lives. Instead, they saw those who were not trying to please God prosper.

As a result, they were saying, “What’s the point? It’s futile trying to serve God. Nothing good ever comes out from it.”

Part of the problem, of course, was that though they did the actions, their hearts were not in it.

As we’ve seen, they were offering blemished sacrifices. They were not giving full tithes to God, if they were giving at all.

And while they kept some of God’s commands, they broke others such as marrying people from unbelieving nations.

Despite all this, they had the gall to say that they were doing what God had asked, and to ask why they weren’t being blessed.

How often do we do the same? We claim to be doing what is right, when in reality, we are doing things half-heartedly.

We claim to be obeying God, when in reality, we pick and choose which commands we want to obey.

Then we complain when we don’t see God’s blessing in our lives.

But others of us may be doing all that God asks of us, and we still don’t see his blessing. And we ask why. What does God say?

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.

“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.

And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” (Malachi 3:16–18)

In short, “I do see, and I do remember. And for those who are faithful to me, they will be my treasured possession, and on the day of judgment, they will be able to stand before me without shame.

But those who are not faithful to me will be treated exactly as they deserve.”

What do we do when we feel discouraged? How do we keep from getting cynical?

I think the main thing is to stay in Christian fellowship. Share with your brothers and sisters what you are feeling. Share with them your frustrations. And listen to what they have to say.

They may point out areas in your life where you’re not being as faithful as you think you are. Or they may simply just encourage you to stay the course, reminding you that God is faithful, and that he will reward you.

But let us never let cynicism pull us away from God. Rather, let us keep our eyes on him, following him to the end.