God Only Requires Three Things

Micah 6:6-8 -  What can we bring to the LORD to make up for what we've done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves?  Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the LORD? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that make him glad? No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

 

Micah directed his next words to all the people. He wanted them to hear the words God had given him to help them understand how to clean up the sin in their lives. The list of sins that God charged them with included turning away from him…impatience….making empty promises…. and unthankful hearts. There was no way to repay God for the trouble they had caused him….he just wanted them to start over in that moment and do three things.  Keep their activities with others fair….show mercy to all who had wronged them….and walk humbly in a daily relationship with him.

 

Micah advice from God translates perfectly for the world of today.  The list of sins is the same….I sure am guilty of all of them at one point or another. I sure can’t repay God for the gift he gave me in his son…so I need to concentrate on finding a way to do a better job of keeping my doings with others fair.  I ned to do a better job of showing mercy….especially to those that have hurt me. And walking closer with him every day and building a relationship with him like Micah had….can do nothing but strengthen me for whatever attacks satan has planned in my future.

 

It is a reminder to me that I am never as humble as I could be. I was reminded just last night in my amazing Celebrate Recovery group just how selfish and surface my life is sometimes. My problems …my hurts and hang ups pale in comparison to the daily struggle God is using to teach my friends how to cling to him more tightly. That verse in Luke  7:47 reminds me that forgiveness is key to grasping the full understanding of God’s great peace and mercy.  It says…. “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." What a great reminder of just how much I am blessed ….and how I need to thank him more…and whine less.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to concentrate more of the three things you require of me most.  Forgive me for the times that I have let the world blind me from being forgiving….doing what is right…and walking humbly with you evry day.  Take the remnant of pride and selfishness that keeps trying to make its way back in my life….and destroy it forever. Amen.

Don't Let The World Steal Your Peace

Micah 5:3-5 -   The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth to her son. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land.  And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD's strength, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored all around the world.  And he will be the source of our peace. When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us, eight princes to lead us.

 

Micah had told them to mobilize ….to ready themselves to be taken captive….but to look forward to the time when the Messiah would be born.  He foretold the coming of a baby born in the humblest of towns. The son of God would eventually bring peace to them.  He would feed them like no other king had done….for he would offer a peace that surpassed any they had ever known …and he would offer it to anyone who would believe on him. 

 

Part of his words came true in Luke 2. Jesus was born…then grew up to follow the will of God and be the last sacrifice needed for sin. He rose from the grave and returned to Heaven to prepare a place for all who call on his name.  But he left us with the Holy Spirit and a portion of the peace he will use to rule when he returns to set up his earthly kingdom.

 

John 14:27 records Jesus’ loving words just before he ascended to his father.  It says… “I am leaving you with a gift -- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Paul explained just a bit more in Philippians 4:6-7.  It says…. “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

 

It is a reminder to me to pray through every small thing that tries to steal that peace away from me. It is a reminder to me to thank him for everything…even the things that I don’t see as good at the time they happen. It is a reminder to cling even tighter to the promise he gave me in Jeremiah 29:11…all his plans are to make me stronger…to give me hope for my future.

 

 

Father….thank you for the reminder to seek your peace instead of letting the world trick me into a world of worry and fear. Forgive me for the times that I have failed to seek your peace…and let fear… worry… confusion… and doubt invade my thoughts.  Help me to cling even tighter to the promise of peace and prosperity….so I can use your power and Holy Spirit to guide and direct my thoughts and choices.  Amen.

God Keeps His Promises

Micah 4:3-4 -  The LORD will settle international disputes. All the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. All wars will stop, and military training will come to an end. Everyone will live quietly in their own homes in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD Almighty has promised this!

 

Micah had been given a glimpse of the future. He knew that God was coming back in the end days to set up an Earthly kingdom that would bring world peace like we have never seen before. Even the tools of war would be repurposed into farming tools. God promised it in many scriptures.

 

This glimpse of the future was meant to motivate the Israelites to be strong during the tough time ahead. They were very close to a time of judgment …a time of exile in Babylon…a time meant to help them get straight in their heads what God really wanted from them…pure worship and love.

 

God’s promise is still there….getting even closer than it was for those Israelites. His promise is still there to motivate us to be strong and courageous through the last days of judgment on his creation. Yes...it is hard some days…and others seem to fly by with no real incident. I think of how easy I have it in America…while the news airs story after story of war and destruction all around us. I find myself thanking God for allowing me to live in such a protected nation…with freedoms that others just dream about.

 

It is a reminder to me that God is in control still.  Even in the midst of wars and rumors of wars….even in the midst of earthquakes….tornadoes….. and snowstorms….God has a plan to someday end all war and troubles and reign here on earth. God will keep his promise someday….and the faith I need to believe it is wrapped up in the love he offers me each day.

 

Father…thank you for the promise of peace someday. Thank you for the relative peace that you allow me in America.  Forgive me for not turning to you in prayer enough for those that live in places that are torn by crime and war. Comfort them and give them a vision of the future like you did Micah…so they can find hope in you through these hard times.  Amen.

Pray For A Fresh Dose Of Power And Spirit

Micah 3:5 and 8 -  This is what the LORD says to you false prophets: "You are leading my people astray! You promise peace for those who give you food, but you declare war on anyone who refuses to pay you.

But as for me, I am filled with power and the Spirit of the LORD. I am filled with justice and might, fearlessly pointing out Israel's sin and rebellion.

 

Micah directed his next words to the leaders…the elders…priests….and prophets of Israel. He told them they were supposed to know right from wrong…yet they had twisted what was good and began to love injustice.  He told them that God was not going to honor the words they said just to make others feel good about the evil they were doing.

 

The elders had separated themselves from the people. They had chosen to live luxurious lives away from the ones they were supposed to lead.  Greed had taken hold in their hearts till they even thought they deserved this better life that was built on dishonesty.

 

Micah used himself as an example. He was not afraid to speak the truth because God’s spirit and power gave him all the courage that he needed.  Acts 1:8 records the words that Jesus used to explain this powerful tool he left all believers with.  It says… “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere -- in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

 

It is a reminder to me that the power of God has already been given to me…I just need to remember that it is there…and tap into it when I need it. All the power of every good prophet…. David… Moses… Paul… and Jesus came from this great source.  He has given it to all believers to help them rise above the world’s demands and be what God has called us to be. I know that it is this power that allows me to understand and write about his word each day.  I just need to learn to use it throughout my day for everything else.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you have given me power that I don’t always tap into. Forgive me for the times that I give up…thinking that I have no more to give.  Help me to be more like Jesus…and the great apostles he sent….that realized when they were running on empty to stop and come to you in prayer….so you could fill them up with a fresh dose of your spirit and power. Amen.

Reflect God's Character In All Your Choices

Micah 2:1-2 -  How terrible it will be for you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry out any of the wicked schemes you have power to accomplish.  When you want a certain piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone's house, you take it by fraud and violence. No one's family or inheritance is safe with you around!

 

Micah gave the people God’s words about in justice. He targeted those who kept late hours….plotting how to take advantage of others.  They used the laws of the land to their advantage...to get what they wanted…knowing that the laws man had made were morally wrong. They didn’t care about the people they hurt….claiming that the law made what they did acceptable.

 

Man has put in place many laws over the years that are contrary to what the Bible teaches. Jesus even addressed the issue when he was asked by the leaders of his day in Mark 12:17.  It says…. “Then Jesus said to them, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.” 

 

Jesus modeled for us how to keep our motives pure and consider the law as second to the Bible when he healed on the Sabbath.  Jesus showed us how to consider love first…. when considering whether a law is Biblically supported or not. I am not advocating intentionally breaking laws…but rather not adhering to them when compassion and love call for us to ignore them. Just because a law says we can collect interest…doesn’t mean that it is right to do so. Just because a law says you are entitled to 50 percent in a settlement…doesn’t mean you can opt for a lower number in love.

 

I admit that I have not always reflected God’s true character in my choices….but this reminder has me reflecting on how I can change that. If I want all my choices and thoughts to reflect his love….I sure need to be careful that compassion and mercy are a part of any decision I make that involves others.  Especially the ones that may have never seen God’s kind of love before.

 

Father….thank you for the reminder  that  the ten commands you gave me in Exodus 34 are the only laws that you ordained as ways to think in Christian love. Forgive me for making my decisions based on laws that man added later…and not always checking my choices with the Bible.  Help me to always check a choice by the Bible in the future….and give to others out of love and compassion. …not expecting anything in return.   Amen.

God Hates Sin...It Perverts Our Hearts

Micah 1: 2-4  -  Attention! Let all the people of the world listen! The Sovereign LORD has made accusations against you; the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.  Look! The LORD is coming! He leaves his throne in heaven and comes to earth, walking on the high places. They melt beneath his feet and flow into the valleys like wax in a fire, like water pouring down a hill.

 

Micah was sent to help the people understand that God’s anger was just as real as his love. It burned in his heart…consuming …destroying….all that threatened to contort the love that he had planned on giving them instead. He was sent to tell the people that God was going to judge every sin they committed and punish them for it.  He would destroy every idol that caused them to pervert the true worship of God.  He would right every injustice that people committed that oppressed others.

 

God still hates sin. His hatred of it is as real as the love he has for all he has created. Sin may start as a simple perversion of worship….or take the form of injustice to others…but it will eventually consume the heart that he wanted us to use to show his love to others.  The sin builds a base of pride that eventually becomes the thing that destroys all the love he meant for us to have.

 

Proverbs 6:16-19…give us the complete list of the things that God hates….it says….  “There are six things the LORD hates -- no, seven things he detests:  haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong,  a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers…”

 

I will admit that I have been guilty of most of these. …so it is a reminder to me to guard my heart from ever thinking that they are good to do again.  It is also a reminder that the only way to rid myself of these sins is to ask forgiveness  and repent of them….asking God to wash them far from me and give me the strength and power to walk in his love 24/7. 

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you hate sin.  You want our lives to be consumed by your love so we can share it with others.  Forgive me for the times that I have done anything that has disappointed you.  Reveal to me all those times so I can ask for your forgiveness and mercy….and you can wash it away from my heart. Give me a new power to walk in your love each day…so I can share it with them instead of the distorted version that satan tricks me into so easily. Amen.

Judge Only Yourself

Jonah 4:1-2 - This change of plans upset Jonah, and he became very angry.  So he complained to the LORD about it: "Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people.

 

Jonah hadn’t quite let go of all the bad things in his life.  He still harbored a hatred for the gentiles he had been sent to preach too.  He was okay with all of them dying for their sins….but as soon as he realized God had changed his mind about their death sentence…he let his true feelings come out.

 

Jonah soon forgot his own sin in running away…and judged these people he preached too more harshly than he did himself.  It reminds me just how important the scripture in Romans 3:23 is….” for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” How soon we forget sometimes that we are all sinners…and need God’s mercy and grace anew every morning.  Perhaps that is what Jesus was thinking when he said later in Matthew 7:5 …. “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”

 

Sin is sin…all of us are guilty….all of us are washed clean the same way when we accept Christ’s love into our heart. We are called to love everyone…regardless of color…race….sex…or gender choice. The Bible doesn’t say anywhere that we get to pick and choose who and when and where we show God’s love.  It clearly records Jesus’ last words to the disciples that watched him ascend into heaven in Mark 16:15.  It says… He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

 

Thank you father for the reminder that I need to judge only myself…and I am called to love everyone else that you created.  Forgive me for all the times that I have failed myself and you by failing to love others the way you called me to love.  Help me to ask for your help each day to identify my own sins…and listen to your directions to share the love you have given me with others.  Amen.

Have YOu Counted Your Second Chances?

Jonah 3:1-4 -  And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,  Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.    So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.   Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.    And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.  

 

God’s words to Jonah were exactly what did said the first time.  He was told to warn this wicked city that they had 40 days to get their act together….or they would die. It is amazing to me that Jonah’s words were received so quickly.  Crowds gathered as he stopped every few steps he had to travel the three days that it took to give God’s message to the whole city.

 

His preaching was so effective that God changed his mind. So many people repented of their sin and asked God’s forgiveness it created a huge impact on even the King. He called for a total fast of food and water….even for the animals that they cared for.  They were asked to dress in sackcloth and sit in ashes…a common way in that day to show a contrite ….broken…completely humble heart.

 

Jesus even used Jonah’s story in Matthew 12:39-41…..to prove his point that anyone who repented and asked to be saved would receive that grace and mercy from God. These evil people from Nineveh accepted God’s love so much quicker that the stubborn people of Israel that God had chosen to be his favorites.

 

It is a reminder to me that it is not the choice to routinely listen to God’s word that makes a difference in my life.  It is what I do in obedience after hearing it that shows God my heart. The words of James 2: 14-17 jump off the page and become so real….it says…. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?  can faith save him?   If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;  notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body;  what doth it profit?   Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. “

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you require obedience. Forgive me for the times that I have been disobedient and prevented others from the opportunity to know about your love.  Thank you fro the second chances you have given me to do it right the second time…and even third. Help me to always pray that you keep my mind and heart fixed so completely on you that I remain obedient…even when it seems hard.  Amen.

Turn All Your Thoughts To God

Jonah 2:1-2 and 7  Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish.  He said, "I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the world of the dead, and LORD, you heard me!

 "When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.

 

Jonah couldn’t do much inside that fish except breathe and think.  He realized that running away was not what he was supposed to do…and that he had messed up bad. He turned his thoughts to God…and realized that any hope he had for mercy and survival rested in the Lord’s hands. It must have been a revival worth watching…for Jonah did a three sixty and totally changed his attitude.

 

There is something about being at our lowest that helps us realize that God could have helped us all along.  There is something about losing everything….or being faced with death….or losing a loved one….that causes our hearts to finally put things in the right priority.

 

It is these very situations that threaten our existence….our happiness… that cause us to humble ourselves lower than we ever have before. It is this act of calling out from our lowest point that causes God to pour back on us His love…His compassion…His mercy.

 

Jonah poured out his repentance…and pledged to follow God’s directions if given the chance. Jonah thanked God for the experience and for saving him…even before the fish was ordered to spit him out on the beach.

 

It is a reminder to me that God hears all my prayers…no matter where they come from…and he answers them all. It is a reminder that I need to keep my heart as humble as possible…cause God sees through any façade I try to put up to hide my feelings from the others around me. It is a reminder to repent of all sin…known and unknown….and pledge to try just that much harder to do what God asks of me.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that a humble…contrite…broken heart has the best ability to understand and follow through with your plan for me. Forgive me for forgetting that great truth from time to time…and allowing satan to trick me into sins that I sometimes don’t even recognize as sin.  Help me to keep my heart as humble as possible…so I can hear your directions and use your power and strength to do what you need me to do.  Amen

Running or Hiding From God Does Not Work...EVER

Jonah 1:1-3 -  The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are." But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the LORD.

 

Most of us know the story well. Jonah…a young prophet…. decides he is smarter than the God who asked him to go and preach to some of the worst people in the world. Instead of saying okay. …this is gonna be so hard ..I will need lots of help….he runs the opposite direction. He endangers the lives of the crew of the boat he hides in…and ends up getting tossed into the sea and swallowed up by a great fish for three days.

 

Jonah was rebellious….but God knew he would come around given some time to think about his mistake.  So God creates a three day cruise in the belly of a stinky fish traveling straight towards the city he was asked to go to in the first place. His time in the belly of that fish was so important that Jesus quoted the story in Matthew 12:39-40.

 

It is a reminder to me that I can not…under any circumstances…..ever….run from the God who created me.  If he tells me to do something…bet everything on the fact that God will get me there somehow.  God allows us to make the wrong choice…then uses our wrong choice to teach us the lesson we need to understand why he asked us to do it in the first place.

 

Running from God only worsens our situation.  Remember Adam and Eve…God found them in the garden even though they hid…and they ended up having to live outside that beautiful garden and till the ground to exist the rest of their lives. Remember Jacob…who ran from his brother Esau after tricking him out of his birthright….God found him and wrestled with him till he accepted the blame for what he had done and returned to apologize. 

 

I admit…it seems easier to run sometimes…but that is just satan whispering lies in our ears. Following God is really easier…if we adjust our attitudes on our own.  He tricked me into believing that a divorce was the best choice….and assure you that is was not. God is restoring my family slowly…but it will never be exactly the same again. I can’t  ‘what if’ about the past….just listen to God to how to make amends for my mistake.  Once my attitude is focused on what God wants  ….instead of what selfish me wants…everything he asks me to do seems easy.

 

Father…. Thank you for the reminder that I can never run any place that you will not find me.  Forgive me for the times I have tried to hide….and thank you for finding me.  Thank you for using the mistake I made to teach me how to be closer to you…and learn how to less selfish. Continue to show me how I can make amends for what I did by sharing the great things you do for me when my attitude is focused on you.  Amen.

Exchange Your Gloating For Forgiveness

Obadiah 1:12-13 -  "You shouldn't have done this! You shouldn't have gloated when they exiled your relatives to distant lands. You shouldn't have rejoiced because they were suffering such misfortune. You shouldn't have crowed over them as they suffered these disasters.  You shouldn't have plundered the land of Israel when they were suffering such calamity. You shouldn't have gloated over the destruction of your relatives, looting their homes and making yourselves rich at their expense.

 

Obadiah was a prophet called to speak a specific message to the people of Edom. This people …who were descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau…had made the mistake of gloating over the troubles of Israel. They developed a sense of self-sufficiency that swelled their hearts with the wrong kind of pride. They forgot the wisdom that Solomon tried to give them in Proverbs 24:17 that says…. “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice.”

 

God sent a message of destruction to these people that did not save anyone of them. He would use the very strengths they bragged about to take them down. God would give total justice to Israel …a complete death sentence to the Edomite’s…with none left to carry on Esau’s name.

 

It is a reminder to be very careful what I rejoice about. It is a reminder to let forgiveness rule my heart…so I am not tempted to have feelings of happiness when someone who has hurt me suffers…for any reason.  It is a reminder that God is the only one that can right any wrong done to any person.

 

I admit that it is one of the hardest things to do. The justice we are allowed to witness seems to ease the pain that the person who hurt us caused.  But if we think about it a while…the justice only reminds us of the hurt…and extends the time we remain in an unforgiving state. Only forgiveness can put us in a state of heart to look past the mistake that was made…and love all people despite of the way they hurt us.  Only forgiveness gives us the power to speak the words that Jesus spoke on that cross….when he asked God to forgive the very ones that nailed him to it.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to concentrate on forgiving others.  I need to let go of the hurts of the past and find the good in all people…even the ones that have hurt me. Forgive me for all the times that I have gloated and smiled at the justice I have witness to others that have hurt people I love.  Help me to learn to exchange those smiles of pleasure in their take down…for the compassion and mercy that you give me each day.  Amen.

Hold Tight To Your Security Blanket...Forever

Amos 9:11-13 -  "In that day I will restore the fallen kingdom of David. It is now like a house in ruins, but I will rebuild its walls and restore its former glory. And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be mine. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do these things."  "The time will come," says the LORD, "when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine!

 

Amos ends his assignment by reminding the people once again that judgment is coming….and no one will escape it. It will be swift…leaving only a few of the great nation he established with Jacob.  He would take those few…and restore them beyond the greatness they had known…beyond the boundaries of the blood of Jacob…to a time when overabundance will be the norm.

 

His words were used once again in Acts 15:16-17.  Paul used them to support his belief that the Messiah came to save all mankind…not just the Jews.  He calls all of us to be his….all we have to do is believe on Jesus…and accept his love into our heart.  His love is the answer to world peace.  His love is the answer to every problem the world faces. 

 

His love is meant to transform our lives.  It is not a security blanket that we pick up when we need it…..it is meant to be carried with us full time…like Linus carried his worn out blanket in the Charlie Brown Cartoons. That blanket…worn from use over the years gave him a sweet nature. He always had kind words and wisdom to share with Charlie Brown.  He knew he would be a mess without it.

 

We are messes without the love and security of our relationship to Christ.  He can only teach us about his love when we are carrying him around with us everywhere we go. We should spend time with him daily…and let his light shine to everyone around us.  We should soak up his wisdom and sweetly share it with the world.

 

I am trying harder to keep Christ a part of my life.  I put him down once…bitter from a job loss…and my life became a mess. It took me 8 long years to realize that my problem wasn’t the job I lost. My problem was I had put down my blanket…and didn’t know how to find it again. It took the devastation from divorce in my first marriage to force me to look for it again. 

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to carry you everywhere I go and use your love to rule everything I do. Forgive me for the time that I put you down….and tried to live life without you.  Thank you for restoring our relationship…even though I did not deserve it…and showing me how to love again.  Help me to never put you down again…but continue to learn to share the wisdom you give me with others. Amen.

Is Your Sabbath Really Holy?

Amos 8:5-7 -  You can't wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You measure out your grain in false measures and weigh it out on dishonest scales.  And you mix the wheat you sell with chaff swept from the floor! Then you enslave poor people for a debt of one piece of silver or a pair of sandals.  Now the LORD has sworn this oath by his own name, the Pride of Israel : "I will never forget the wicked things you have done!

 

Amos saw a basket of ripe fruit in another vision from God.  He was told that the people of Israel were ripe for punishment. He called out the greedy merchants that could not wait for the worship ceremonies to end so they could resume their crooked businesses.  The money they could make meant more to them than the time they could have spent praying and worshiping the one who allowed them to have a business in the first place.

 

My Life Application Bible posed a question….Do I stop at least one day of the week to worship…or does working consume me so much that I don’t ever stop to say thank you to God for the provisions I do have?  Hard question to answer…I am privileged to have a job that traditionally has weekends off.  I can rest and worship on Sunday with no problem.  The choice is easy for me…it provides one of my favorite times of fellowship with others who love God.

 

But we live in a world where many are employed in jobs that require them to work while we are at a traditional church service.  Restaurants….gas stations….grocery stores …even department stores….are all open on the weekend…some 24/7 so we can shop at the most convenient times for our own needs. I even help fuel the need for many of these jobs by choosing to eat out on Sunday after I worship…or stop quickly at the grocery store for something….or buy my gas….or shop for a new outfit after church.

 

Let me really go out on a limb here and ask a bold question…that even I don’t know if I could do.  What if all the believers….all of us that can worship on Sunday…stop fueling the need for restaurants…or gas stations…or stores of all kinds to be open on Sunday? What if we all organized ourselves to the point that we did not need any of those services…and all those people who have to work…suddenly found that Sunday was a day off for them…cause business was so slow it did not pay the place to stay open that day.

 

Could we change the way the world operates if we cared that much to keep the Sabbath Holy…choosing to rest….and worship only? I think  we might make a small dent in it anyway. Perhaps we could encourage everyone to go one more step…and have more business owners take a stand and close on Sunday just because they choose too.  If more businesses like Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A would openly proclaim their need to worship outweighs the need to be open and make a profit….maybe it would start a new trend.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you proclaimed long ago that I should keep the Sabbath Holy.  It is a day that you placed in my schedule for me to rest…and for me to spend some extra special time with you in worship and praise of what you have done in my life.  Forgive me for forgetting that others need that special time with you too….and fueling the need for them to work…and miss out on the opportunity to worship in a corporate way.  Help me to reorganize my week and plan ahead…and make it a special day of rest …and not ask others to work on my behalf anymore. Amen.

Love Creates Obedience And Compassion

Amos 7:2-3 -  In my vision the locusts ate everything in sight that was green. Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD, please forgive your people! Unless you relent, Israel will not survive, for we are only a small nation." So the LORD relented and did not fulfill the vision. "I won't do it," he said.

 

God had given Amos a vision of the destruction that was coming for the people of Israel that had disobeyed his commands to love only Jehovah. They had crossed the line…and refused to go back to giving God the individual praise and worship that he requires. 

 

Amos was obedient…in spite of the fact that no one listened…in spite of the fact that he was called a traitor and asked to leave town.  Amos even went one step further.  He went to God in prayer and asked him to show mercy…to forgive the people…to not send the punishment he had planned….twice.

 

What boldness he must have possessed to petition God … immediately praying for the stubborn people that had put him there.  What courage it must have taken for Amos to not back down as he was being yelled at by this King.  What obedience he modeled for us in testifying to the king how God had called him from the olive groves where he farmed….to prophecy in God’s name.

 

Amos was powered by God’s love.  He put aside any feelings of inadequacy and position.  He spoke boldly whatever God gave him to speak.  He prayed for others before he prayed for himself.  He accepted his call and let it be the sole passion in his life as long as God asked him too.

 

I admit that I have not embraced the true power of the love God spoke about in 1 Corinthians 13. I get it some days…and others I let the world hide the power it could give me to do God’s work. I sure needed this reminder that love is the most important of the three most valuable character traits…faith…hope and love.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to learn to love….and let the power of that love do the work you have given me to do.  Forgive me for the times that I have let the world trick me into falling back on other emotions …that have weakened my faith…and tried to steal my joy and hope.  Help me to guard against letting any other emotion but love rule my thoughts and actions. Amen.

Humility Is Key...Use What You Have For Others

Amos 6:6-8 - You drink wine by the bowlful, and you perfume yourselves with exotic fragrances, caring nothing at all that your nation is going to ruin.  Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your revelry will end.  The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his own name, and this is what he, the LORD God Almighty, says: "I despise the pride and false glory of Israel, and I hate their beautiful homes. I will give this city and everything in it to their enemies."

 

Amos was given  specific word for the richest in Israel. They laid around on their luxurious beds….ate the richest of food available…bought costly perfumes…and drank wine by the bowlful.  They used their resources merely to please themselves. The more they achieved…the more the flaunted it to the people around them.  God despised the attitude of pride and false glory they had developed.  He said they were stupid to rejoice in how great they had become.

 

It is just one of the many scriptures that warn us pf the dangers of pride…of believing we are greater than others around us simply because we own more ‘things.’ Proverbs 29:23 was the first to come to mymind….it says….. “pride goeth before a fall.” But a quick google search brought up many more.  There was the ’thorn’ that Paul mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:7. And one other really good one is the great words of john in 1 john 2:16….that tell us our lust for materials things is of the world…not of God.

 

God wants to give us good things…not have us acquire them of our own accord.  God wants the character trait of humility to shine brighter in our lives than any need to be great…or have great things.  He tell us in James 4:6 that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. And Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3 to always count others as more important than ourselves. 

 

When we follow this great advice from God’s chosen apostles…we begin to understand why Jesus walked this earth in as humble a fashion as possible.  He was modeling for us how to be so humble that what God wants for our lives is more important that what the world thinks about us. It was his humility that allowed him to keep his focus on the most important things…and give glory to God for anything he was blessed to be a part of that was good for others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to work on my humility.  Forgive me for all the times that I expect things for myself without thinking of the needs of others.  Help me to focus more on you …soI can begin to be more humble.  Show me how you meant for me to use all the resources you gave me to bless others in my life.  Amen.

Give And Worship From The Heart....Not Out of Routine

Amos 5:21-24 -   "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.  Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.  But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

 

Amos sang a sad song to the people God had sent him too.  he could see the destruction that lay ahead for them because they were so stubborn…and would not listen to God’s warnings to repent. The people had lived in their sin for so long they thought that it was the right thing to do.  They tried to worship God along with all the other gods they gave sacrifices too.

 

God had grown to hate their double minded hearts…their false worship.  The offerings and songs they sang were empty…they came from years of routine…not a humble heart that wanted to please God.  Even though some of the offerings were the best they had…they were given out of obligation ….not love and praise.

 

It is a reminder to me that every act of worship…every gift or offering I give must be from the heart. I must constantly pray about where God wants me to use the resources he loaned to me to help provide for his work here on earth. My worship should be full of praise and thanks for his mercy…I should never just go to worship out of routine and habit.

 

Father….thank you for the reminder that I need to examine my motives for worship and giving…to make sure that they are what you would want from me.  Forgive me for the times that I have written my tithe check out of habit…and failed to lift my heart up to you …to thank you…and ask where the resources you have given me can best be used.  Forgive me for the times that I have stepped inside my church out of routine.  Help me to examine my heart today for the ways you would have me invest what you have given me in others.  Teach me how to worship you more fully and expose all my heart for you to cleanse.  Amen.

Listen To God...Invest Your Talents In His Kingdom

Amos 4:11-12 - "I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.  "Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel."

 

Amos continued to speak God’s words to the people.  This time he targeted all those who had been given fair warning to return to him…yet ignored his request to repent. God had tried to humble them with war….famine….lack of rain…..blight…and plagues…but these warnings had not been effective.  God wanted Amos to remind them that a time was coming when they could ignore him no longer.  They would have to give an account for what they had done with the time he had given them on this earth face to face. 

 

If we don’t listen to God when he sends us messages of warning….we will see him face to face too at the end.  One day…in total judgment…we will have to account for the time he allowed us to live here on earth.  I thought of the story of the talents in Matthew 25.  While the ruler was away on a trip….he gave three different servants some talents to invest while he was gone. The servant in that story who hid the rulers talents was cast into jail…for not yielding an increase in his master’s kingdom.

 

It reminds me to carefully use what God gave me to his benefit each day. I don’t want to be a ‘cow of Bashan’ to God….using the blessing he gave me to justify pleasing only myself.  I want to be a servant…righty dividing the word of truth… a person that he will say… “well done my faithful servant” to.

 

Father… thank you for the reminder that I need to listen closely to the warnings you send me to tell me I have taken a wrong path in my walk with you.  Forgive me for all the times that I have become a ‘cow’ … selfishly using what you have given me to use for you.  Help me to see and hear…and feel you over the world’s sirens that call to me and try to trick me.  Focus my ears on you so intently that I can’t miss your next directive of what to do for you.  Amen.

Clean Up Your Heart Every Day

Amos 3:10-11 -  "My people have forgotten what it means to do right," says the LORD. "Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence.  Therefore," says the Sovereign LORD, "an enemy is coming! He will surround them and shatter their defenses. Then he will plunder all their fortresses."

 

Amos continues to speak the words of God to the people.  God gives him the very reasons for their judgment. He had chosen them…and given them the rules that would help them do right…but they had forgotten them.  They had done whatever made them happy…whatever filled their pockets with wealth…even if it mistreated or hurt the others around them. So God was going to allow all the possessions they had acquired the wrong way to be plundered.

 

It was sin that distorted their view. It was sin that separated them from their source of goodness.  The more sin they allowed in their lives…the harder it was to remember the God that brought them to such a great land.  The longer they sinned…the more it took control of their hearts and souls and minds.

 

It is a reminder to me to constantly clean up my heart.  Just as we wash our dishes on a daily basis...so should we wash our hearts of sin each day.  We need to spend time in the presence of God each day…so he can help us to uncover any sin that might be a problem later in the week….or month…or year. That sin…if left in our lives….will eventually have us hiding in the garden….just like Adam and Eve.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that sin separates me from you.  Forgive me for the times I have harbored sin...known or unknown...in my life…and left it there long enough to affect my relationship with you.  Help me to listen closely to you each morning and evening as I study and pray…so you can uncover any sin before it damages my heart.  Keep my heart strong…totally connected to you…so as soon as you uncover any sins…I will confess t quickly…so you can wash it away from my life…and restore me back to a right relationship with you.  Amen.

Remember To Thank God For All He Has Done

Amos 2:9-11 -  "I destroyed the Amorite before them, though he was tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.  "I brought you up out of Egypt, and I led you forty years in the desert to give you the land of the Amorites.  I also raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men. Is this not true, people of Israel?" declares the LORD.

 

God continued to use Amos to speak to his own people.  He sent him to Moab…but then told him to take his words of judgment to Judah and Israel as well.  God was so angry that they had already forgotten all he had done for them.  God was displeased that they had turned their back on his laws and commands. They had even gone so far as to encourage the few Nazirites to stop the vows they had sworn before God as well.

 

It only takes a few moments of time in a good place to shade our memories of how God rescued us from the past. As the time passes….we forget the feelings of passion and comfort he brought to our heart and life when his love and mercy was new. The world easily distorts our view of what is right and wrong…and before you know it we are right back into a new mess.

 

I will be the first to admit that my life resembles the wanderings of the Israelites for the last 40 years.  I see God do a miracle in my life…revel in in and let it power me for a while.  But it doesn’t take me long to feel the pressure of the world…to begin to whine that life is not what I thought it would be as I step by faith into the future.  I forget all that he has already done for me …and forget to thank him for it.  I forget that God has a plan for the good of his kingdom…and begin to focus a little too much on me again.

 

Matthew 6:33 says…. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  If we keep our eyes focused on God…not only will he shield us from most of those attacks of satan…he will give us the scripture and power to fight him with…just as he gave Jesus the strength and power to overcome his temptations for 40 days and nights in the wilderness. Jesus stayed so focused on his father that e only needed 33 years to complete his purpose here on earth.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to stayed focused on you at all times.  Forgive me when I have let my focus slip…and stepped back in the wrong direction from your will.  Help me to keep my eyes on you…and seek your kingdom first….so that you may give me what I need to complete the purpose you placed me here for.  Amen.

God Uses The Simplest Of Lives To Tell Of His Love

Amos 1:1-2 -  The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa--what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.  He said: "The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers."

 

Amos was called of God while shepherding his families sheep out in the fields one day. He was given the task of delivering God’s words of judgment to the cities that had treated his people in a corrupt way.   God was displeased with the sin that existed in those places and was going to destroy each one .

 

Amos was not a priest…or the son of one.  He was not born a prophet.  He was called while he provided a the man power to watch his families sheep.  It was a hard job…requiring many hours of exposure to all kinds of weather. You slept with your sheep…usually guarding the opening to the sheepfold at night.

 

The job Amos did for God was so important that his simple story made it to the Bible. God must have chosen him for his heart instead of his status. He was just as important to God as the wisest king Solomon in all his splendor. He became one of the first laymen preachers…. God using him to warn the people of coming judgment.

 

It is a reminder to me that God uses all people to spread his message of love to others. No matter how simple your day job might seem…God has a plan to use you to speak his truth to others.  He might call you out with a vision as he did Amos…or he might leave you just where you are to model for others a strong Christian life…to be an example to the ones he placed you near. God uses all people…and the simplest of workers to do his work.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that All people are valuable to you ….that all of us are called…even in our simple lives to spread the truth of your love. Forgive me for the times that I have not seen my job as a calling to show your love…and wished for a grander way to be used.  Help me to bloom where you have planted me…and show your love to all the people you allow to cross my path. Amen.

Guard Against A Complacent Heart

Joel 3:1-2 -  "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,  I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.

 

Joel told the people God’s plans for restoration when they returned to him with their whole heart. He would save anyone who believed in him and provide the highest level of refuge for their weary and worn lives. He was going to strengthen them nback into the nation that he had meant for them to be in the first place.

 

That promise was not just for the Israelites….it is for all people who believe in his power and name. His promise is the basis of hope for anyone that has ever suffered a loss….gone through hard times…or made a mistake that devastated their lives. He calls for us to wake up from our complacency….and share the truth of what God has done for us with others.

 

Complacency is a dangerous emotion to harbor in your life.  It makes you too comfortable with the routines in your life that provide happiness and pride. We should never rest too long in any one happy moment…we should let the reality of verse 14 ring in our hearts.  It says… “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.”  That means there are always multitudes of people that will not be saved unless we share God’s Love with them.

 

I will be the first to admit that I spend too much time being content with the good things God has given me.  I need to step up my game…and let the reality of judgment for the nonbeliever rule what I do more that the blessings I exist in. God wants us to be happy and blessed so we can share what his love can do for others who don’t know him yet.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to guard against the emotion of complacency.  Forgive me for focusing too much of my time on pleasing myself.  Help me to take the happiness you have given me and share it more with others…so that less people will find themselves judged to not believe. Amen.

Where There Is Repentance.....There Is Hope

Joel 2:1 and 12-13   -  Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand—

…"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."  Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

 

Joel was told to tell the people to sound the trumpet…the warning bell that God’s judgment day of gloom and darkness was approaching quickly. Anyone who had not repented of their sin and begun to walk in God’s ways would die ….all the things they cherished and held dear gone forever.  He wanted them to feel the fear of eternal separation from God.

 

Then he told them of the hope that repentance could offer the situation.  God is a loving God…he can be persuaded by a humble heart and prayer to lessen the sentence of death…even turn it into eternal life with him. He called for the people to stop tearing their garments…an outward show of humility….and start tearing their hearts. He called for them to fast and pray as ever before...and show God they really wanted him as an active part of their lives.

 

It is a reminder to me that repentance multiplies the feelings of hope that power us through the tough times. No public prayer…or public gift to the needy…or other outward show of love will power our heart and life with God’s strength like giving our total being to God.  He wants all of our heart…all of our mind…and all of our soul…..so he can begin to direct our paths with his love and hope.

 

The last part of this chapter contains the huge blessing earth can receive if we all begin to turn back to God and pray with all our hearts.  Verses 28-29 say…. "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

 

I could use a fresh dose of God’s Spirit to keep me focused and going in the right direction.  I am only human…and satan tricks me into messing  up more than I get it right. So I guess I need to get serious about my prayers…and start asking God to expose any sin I have not noticed in my life.  Only then can I ask God to forgive me and wash it out of my life…so I begin to see the blessings God has promised in these verses. Then I need to get serious about sharing what I have learned with others…so that all people can repent and be saved.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to come to you with my whole heart in humility and ask you to forgive me of any sin in my life. Forgive me for the times that I have skirted over my need to ex[pose sin in my life…and let satan trick me into justifying it as okay.  Begin this day to expose all the hidden sins in my life so that I can be washed clean and acceptable to be used of you share the truth of your love. Install in me a new dose of your Holy Spirit …so that I may feel the power and hope that Joel foretold so long ago.  Amen.