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Examining my own behavior…. (devo reflection)

Amos 6:1 Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!

Here we are once again, looking at the sins of complacency and pride. It is easy to be frustrated that these people are just so dense that they can’t see what is so obvious to the rest of us. But I would encourage you once again to go back to Matthew 7:5, to take your eyes off their speck and see if you are overlooking a plank in your own eye.

Amos 6:8 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”

It is so easy for me to “armchair quarterback” someone else’s behavior. And I do it with startling regularity, completely ignoring my own less-than-desirable behaviors. That is not what God wants for His beloved children, for a whole host of reasons.

Amos 6:12 Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness—

Precious Savior, Thank You for continuing to bring me back to examine my own behavior so that I might be more aware of when complacency and pride are creeping in. Help me to focus on removing the plank in my own eye while still loving Your people well. Help me not to be a doormat for others, but instead to shine Your light for all. Amen.

Amos 6:13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?”

Have a blessed day.

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Seek the Lord and live…. (devo reflection)

Amos 5:4-5 This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”

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.) speaks to the futility of trying to tell someone the error of his ways. Humans are very good at justifying our actions to the point that we will ignore our blatantly bad behavior while actively trying to correct others. If I’m convinced I’m right, you will never convince me otherwise.

Amos 5:6 Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

Amos’s audience is convinced they are giving God His due. They hold religious festivals as they should, but God knows their hearts; therefore, He knows they are just going through the motions with Him, and He says, emphatically, that what they are doing is not ok and will not end well. “Seek the Lord and live” (v6).

Amos 5:14 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

Lord, Thank You for the abundant compassion and fierce love that I see as I read Your word. I thought Your anger was because they put others before You, but I am understanding that it is because You know that that behavior will ultimately be to their harm because it does not lead to You—our Creator and Savior. Forgive me. Guide me. Protect me. Draw me closer. Amen.

Amos 5:15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Have a blessed day.

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The Lord God Almighty is his name…. (devo reflection)

Amos 4:6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

I am thankful that God does not act like I do. His actions here aren’t out of anger but out of His fierce love for us and His deep desire for us to return and repent so that we can enjoy a full relationship with Him. Thank You, Jesus.

Amos 4:8 People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

Even if I had started in a place of love with this correction, the repeated ignoring, the blatant refusal to return and repent would have led me to anger, which would have turned any loving acts intended to correct into vengeful acts intended to punish. Help me, Jesus.

Amos 4:12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your fierce love of us, a love that leads You to great lengths to encourage us to return and repent. Thank You that You aren’t human and fleshly and easy to anger as we are. Help us to cling to Isaiah 55:8–knowing that You have much bigger plans for us than we could ever imagine—and to return to You with our whole hearts. Amen.

Amos 4:13 He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is his name.

Have a blessed day.

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Privilege and responsibility…. (devo reflection)

Amos 3:1 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:

The expression “With great power comes great responsibility” comes to mind in light of today’s scripture, though, more accurately, it should probably be “With great privilege comes great responsibility” for today’s scripture.

Amos 3:2 “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

Israel has been “chosen of all the families of the earth.” God chose them specifically, intentionally, and yet, they are acting as if they are beholden to no one. God’s not ok with that. He’s done everything but beg Israel to return and repent, yet still they persist in their sin.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Lord, Once again I am reminded of Your goodness, Your compassion, Your faithfulness to us who prove ourselves again and again to be unworthy of such love. Forgive us, Lord. Help us. Draw us closer. Amen.

Amos 3:8 The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken—who can but prophesy?

Have a blessed day.

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Being called out on my mess…. (devo reflection)

Amos 2:13 “Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.

Today’s scripture brought to mind the adage, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” It deals with being so narrowly focused on one way, one solution, one thing, that you miss any other possibilities. Except, instead of viewing life through the hammer/nail lens, the people in Amos 2 are blinded by their own pride.

Amos 2:14 The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life.

The people spoken of in today’s scripture are so proud, so confident in their own abilities, that they don’t feel the need for God. This is another account of God bringing them to task for their pride, of God humbling them before His power. It’s not pleasant, but if they will repent, true growth can occur.

Amos 2:15 The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.

Precious Savior, It is really uncomfortable to be called out on my mess; however, if I will take the time to examine my actions, real growth can take place. I want to grow closer to You always, Lord. Forgive me when I fall short of that goal. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Amen.

Amos 2:16 Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.

Have a blessed day.

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The choice before me every day…. (devo reflection)

Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

Two things struck me as I read Amos 1. First, Amos is a “sheepbreeder” or, as commentary points out, a ‘shepherd,’ but not in “the symbolic, spiritual sense.” In other words, Amos was an ordinary guy whom God was using for His purpose. Isn’t that what we all strive for?

Amos 1:11a This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not relent….

To see the second point that jumped out at me, you have to go all the way down to the bottom of today’s reflection, to verse 11c. God’s anger at Edom was because Edom’s “anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked.” I feel this on a deep level because anger over perceived slights is something with which I struggle.

Amos 1:11b …Because he pursued his brother with a sword and slaughtered the women of the land….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for opening my eyes in this scripture to the choice before me every day. I can choose to be like Amos—an ordinary person being used in Your service or I can choose to be like Edom, letting my anger rage continually and my fury flame unchecked. Seen here, this is not a difficult choice at all, but in my humanity, somehow I continue to struggle. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Amos 1:11c …because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked….

Have a blessed day.

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Are you repaying me for something I have done?… (Devo reflection)

Joel 3:4a “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done?…”

I’ve got a lot of thoughts spinning through my head this morning. But what jumps out at me in verse 4a is this idea of repaying God for something He has done. He isn’t asking in a positive way, asking are you going to reward me for the good I’ve done for you?

Joel 3:7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done.”

It’s a sobering question. God asks one thing of us for all the many, many, many things He’s done for us. He wants relationship with us. Part of that is praise. Part of it is acknowledgement. Part is seeking to know Him more, better. It’s not much to ask in repayment for daily, hourly blessings, but I’m sure I’m not living up to my end of the bargain.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Precious Savior, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Forgive me for being so caught up in my own mess that I don’t seek daily, hourly, to draw closer to You with thanks and praise. Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Amen.

Joel 3:21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged? No, I will not.” The Lord dwells in Zion!

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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Even now…. (Devo reflection)

Joel 2:12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

This is one of those passages that really clarifies for me the mercy and compassion of the Lord. “Even now,” declares the Lord, “Even now, return to me and I’ll take you back. Even now. After everything.”

Joel 2:13a “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.

Compassion fatigue is something I struggle with this time of year, especially. I feel like I’ve given so much for so long, and I’m just tired. But God says, after everything, “Even now….”

Joel 2:19 The Lord replied to them: “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.

Lord, Thank You for Your amazing love and compassion. Thank You that You are bigger than compassion fatigue. Be with me as I struggle. Help me to love others with Your love, mercy, and compassion. Amen.

Joel 2:23 Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.

Have a blessed day.

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First and always…. (devo reflection)

Joel 1:7 It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.

Today’s chapter brought to mind versions of church signs I’ve seen that have always bothered me. The first is: When all else fails, pray. The second is: When all else fails, read the instructions (meaning the Bible). I’ve always wondered why in the world anyone would wait until all else has failed to do either.

Joel 1:12 The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away.

Joel 1 seems to provide a little bit of an answer: humans are proud. We like to be self-sufficient, often to the point of absurdity. When we get stuck in self-reliance mode, it often takes huge, uncontrollable things for us to realize that God didn’t intend for us to shoulder it all. He is our strength, our very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1), but we have to turn to Him, to invite Him into our struggle.

Joel 1:19 To you, Lord, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.

Lord, Thank You for allowing me to choose You. Forgive me for all those times I let pride and self-reliance get in the way. Help me to turn to You first and always, no matter the situation. Help me never to forget that You are my strength. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Joel 1:20 Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness.

Have a blessed day.