Devos 365

Amos 5:1-6 1 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: 2 “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.” 3 For thus says the Lord God : “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” 4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live, 5 but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” 6 Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel. With the opening of Amos 5 we hear the Lord in sorrow over the fate of Israel. He mourns over the choices they have made to deny Him and follow after gods of their own making. He sees their demise, leaving only ten percent behind, and they in tatters. It is ...

Amos 4:12-13 12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” 13 For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord , the God of hosts, is his name! We’ve been walking together for the last 2 weeks through the first four chapters of Amos. If you are like me, you maybe haven’t studied Amos as closely as some of the more “popular” book of the Bible. But even its obscurity, it has words of admonishment, compassion, love for us all. Today we are going to finish chapter four, looking at some of the details we find as God continues to warn the people of impending disaster if they don’t repent and return to Him. If you want to look at the chapter again, you'll need your Bible or you can go back to the last post. As we noted earlier in the week, God was not interested in the wors...

[On a personal note - sorry I missed yesterday and I'm late today. Hopefully life will balance out a little in the near future.] Amos 4:4-11 4 “Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; 5 offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!” declares the Lord God . 6 “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord . 7 “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; 8 so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord...

Amos 4:1-3 1 “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’ 2 The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. 3 And you shall go out through the breaches, each one straight ahead; and you shall be cast out into Harmon,” declares the Lord . The people of Israel were so incredibly self-satisfied and secure in their own prosperity that God compares the women to the cows that roamed the fields of the rich grazing lands of Bashan. At that time, those cattle were considered the fattest, healthiest, and laziest in the world. Clearly, not a compliment! And then God declares that they will, much to their surprise, be carried off into captivity, pulled along by hooks through their noses, which was how slaves were marched home to the land of their ...

Those who are acquainted with my family know that this week saw the arrival of a new grandson for me and my husband. In the face of this lovely child I am struck once again by something that is so very obvious, but bears remembering. God's love is infinite. The birth of a child is proof. It may be cliche, but nonetheless true - because God is the author of all love, it knows how to expand. When something so miraculous as a baby emerges into our lives, the love we have doesn't have to subdivide to make room for someone new to love. Instead, it grows. This is a miracle and a beautiful thing. It is proof that God exists. If ever you wonder if God is real, or if He truly love you, make a list of all those people that you love and that love you. Did you ever love others less because a new child, grandchild, or friend comes into your life? Of course not. Your love expands because God makes it expand, sent to you from His infinite storehouse of love. Back to Amos tomorrow.

Amos 3:9-15 9 Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst.” 10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord , “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.” 11 Therefore thus says the Lord God : “An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered.” 12 Thus says the Lord : “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. 13 “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord God , the God of hosts, 14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. 1...