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.