The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Amos 6-9
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 6:Kings and Prophets: God divides the kingdom people.
Background Information: Amos 6-9
Amos ministered during a time of unprecedented prosperity in the Northern Kingdom. This prosperity was a facade that covered a rotting core. After the death of Jeroboam, there would be six kings before the nation fell, and five of those six would be assassinated. Amos was a simple man called by God as his messenger; you can well imagine that he didn’t enjoy being the one who brought nothing but bad news. His life must have been enormously difficult. He must have been driven by courage and faith and, above all, confidence that God had given him this difficult mission. The priest Amaziah sought to silence Amos and send him back to Judah. The leaders of Israel didn’t want to hear the Word of God because it was uncomfortable and unpleasant. It made them feel guilty, because they were guilty. Perhaps, like Nineveh, they could have repented, and God’s judgment may have turned away. But God’s people were more foolish than even the evil Assyrian people, who received the words of the reluctant prophet Jonah. Amos’ visions of judgment are terrifying, but they pale in comparison to the real terror that would soon befall the nation. As we read, we must not say, “too bad for them!” We are to personalize this story. Have we become complacent? Have we enjoyed God’s blessings and withheld them from others who are far from God? Do we live in our “holy huddles” in Christian communities of comfort and fail to venture out and take the gospel to the lost world? We must repent and turn to God for his mercy. Because of the gospel, we will not be destroyed, and nothing can separate us from the Love of God that is ours through Christ. We can, however, experience God’s displeasure. We can waste our lives living as if the gospel is ours alone and not given to us in order to make God known to others. The book of Amos, for all its terrifying judgment, ends with hope. The final section of Amos tells of redemption on the other side of judgment. God will restore his people. In fact, God will include people of all nations among his own. This points forward to the time of the New Covenant. This is where we live, and this is what God is doing now. We must make Jesus known to people who are far from God. It is our privilege and our responsibility.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for CAYM. Ask God to use Donnovan and the team at CAYM to establish mentoring programs. Pray for these new mentors to have opportunities to make the gospel known.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.