Shepherd to Speaker of the Truth

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, fall is here and God's glory surrounds us in new and fresh ways during this amazingly beautiful season.  As we enter this time of year, we are also entering into the last third of the Bible.  Can you believe we are in book number 30 already?  And we are only about 3 months away from completing this incredible journey together through God's Word!  Once again, you all continue to just "blow me away" with your insightful posts and the challenges to apply these lessons in our lives on a daily basis. 

Jaybrena did a fantastic job  yesterday of starting the book of Amos for us and giving us some wonderful things to look at in our lives.  I wanted to add to her post by sharing with you some of the things that The Legacy Bible says in its introduction to this book.  It states:

"Amos preached a timeless truth:  God is just.  God's judgments are fair, appropriate, sure and tempered with mercy.  What God requires, God expects - with consequences for willfull noncompliance."

There have been WAY MORE times in my life that I have faced the consequences for willfull noncompliance, and am in fact facing right now.  I can see how God is shaping me through these lessons to be more and more like His Son as I travel through these "fires"' and see him burning away impurities.  Jeremy Camp has a song called "Empty Me" and part of the lyrics say, "Holy fire, burn away, my desire for anything that is not of You and is of me 'cause I want more of You and less of me".  Check it out above if you have time.  It is an amazing song and very profound in my opinion.  There is just something about Jeremy Camp's voice and lyrics that puts me into a worshipful, Spirit-filled state almost immediately!

The introduction goes on to state this:

"Amos offered several powerful pictures of the God who deserves the respect and worship of his people:
1.  God condemns injustice and expects godly people to work for justice (see Amos 2: 6-8)
2.  God works to vindicate justice.  He does not ignore sin.  The final chapter of history will be one in which justice is administered (see Amos 3:2)
3.  The beginning of justice is worship.  The person who no longer sincerely worships God is somewhere else - worshiping at the altar of money, sex or fame.  To worship anything else is to be unfaithful to God.  God hates idols (see Amos 5:21 - 27)."

Chapter 6 gives a clear warning against complacency.  Complacency is defined as:

"a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc. "

Do you see the dangers of this state of mind in its definition?  We need to guard VERY carefully against complacency.  It is a breeding ground for the devil to do all kinds of destructive things in our lives.  Guard against it!!!  According to my Life Essentials Study Bible, "We must never conclude that material prosperity and political power are indications that God approves of our lifestyle."  Did you get that?  DO NOT BE DECEIVED!!!

Chapter 7 shows a series of punishments that are to come for Israel.  For the punishments of locusts and fire the Lord relented and did not issue that particular destruction.  But when it comes to the plumb line, He does not relent and does in fact deliver this punishment.  The second half of chapter 7 shows the conflict between Amos and Amaziah.  Amos was declaring the truth and Amaziah was declaring words that were NOT from the Lord, even though he was a priest!  Again, my Life Essentials Study Bible states, "We who speak God's truth should not be surprised when we are falsely accused and persecuted, even by some who claim to be spiritual leaders."  How VERY, VERY true this is!!!  I have personally experienced this particular issue in my life.  The very people who were supposed to be my spiritual leaders were persecuting me.  This is a very difficult place to be in and one that needs to be worked out with the Lord VERY carefully!  We MUST be grounded in God's Word so that we know The Truth for ourselves and are not deceived by anyone!

Chapter 8 talks about a quite disturbing thing to me.  In verse 12 it states:

"Men will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it."

 How incredibly horrible would that be!!!  This would be my worst nightmare coming true!!  Praise God this is no longer the case because God has given us His written Word through the form of The Holy Scriptures.  My Life Essentials Study Bible says that, "The primary reason people do not hear God today is that they refuse to read or hear the written Word of God.  God has spoken and He is not silent."  AMEN!!!

Chapter 9 once again states that Israel will be destroyed, but then ends with the hopeful message that God will also restore Israel.  Verse 15 says:

" 'I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,'
says the Lord your God."

Let me finish by sharing with you the end to the introduction to the book of Amos in my Legacy Bible:

 "Someday, thundered Amos, justice will roll on like a mighty river (see Amos 5:24).  Amos's fiery words of warning are as applicable for us today as they were for the people of Israel more than 2,500 years ago.  We too need to examine our lives, searching for and eliminating complacency, hypocritical religion and social injustice.  Only then can we truly honor God.  Find someone who loves justice, and you'll find someone whose heart beats with the passion of God."