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Try again…. (devo reflection)

Amos 9:4 Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. “I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good.”

As I read the second part of verse 4, Gen 50:20 came to mind: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good….” I want God to keep His eyes on me, but I want His intentions to be good, and thankfully, under the new covenant of Christ, they are.

Amos 9:8 “Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. Yet I will not totally destroy the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord.

Gone is the old covenant of obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed. But even in that covenant, God strove for mercy and renewal. The disobedient Israelites didn’t get what they deserved, they weren’t treated as they treated God. His goal for them was repentance, renewal, restoration.

Amos 9:11 “In that day I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins—and will rebuild it as it used to be….

Precious Savior, Thank You for not treating me as I deserve. Thank You for Your fierce love and deep compassion. Thank You for the new covenant of Christ. Thank You that every day I get to try again to be a better person than I was yesterday. Forgive me when I fall short. Help me to forgive myself. Draw me closer. Amen.

Amos 9:15 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.

Have a blessed day.

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Hearing the words of the Lord…. (devo reflection)

Amos 8:11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Matthew 7:7 reminds us that if we “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” But in Amos 8:11 God says that because His people are not listening, not seeking, not thirsting, He will bring a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Amos 8:12 People 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.

Because I sit in my recliner every morning asking, seeking, knocking, because every morning I read scripture wondering what message my Savior will have for me and every morning He talks to my heart, I feel the threat of Amos 8:11 on a gut level. Because He shows up even in scripture that makes no sense to me, because He whispers His truth to my heart daily, a famine of hearing the words of the Lord would be incomprehensible.

Amos 8:13 “In that day the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.

Lord, Thank You for meeting me here every morning. Thank You for whispering Your truth to my heart. Thank You that a famine of hearing the words of the Lord would be an incalculable loss for me. Help me, always, to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. Help me to hear Your words always. Amen.

Amos 8:14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria—who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’ or, ‘As surely as the god of Beersheba lives’—they will fall, never to rise again.

Have a blessed day.

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Unflappable like Amos…. (devo reflection)

Amos 7:10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.

Just when I think I’m finally getting a handle on my own tendency toward pride, God shows me how far I still need to go. Amos is doing his job—praying and prophesying, when Amaziah, another prophet, a jealous, self-serving priest, tells lies to the king about him.

Amos 7:11 For this is what Amos is saying: “ ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’ ”

Immediately, my hackles go up. What Amaziah is saying about Amos is not fair and it’s not right. How dare he?!? But Amos simply goes on praying and prophesying, calmly addresses Amaziah, and goes on about his God-given business. No anger, no hackles. I can learn a lot from him.

Amos 7:12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.

Precious Savior, You know my heart. You know I try to do right by You always. You also know that I pay too much attention to what the world says and thinks. Help me to be unflappable like Amos, going about my God-given business with not a care about the false words or thoughts of others. Amen.

Amos 7:13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”

Have a blessed day.

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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.