5/23/2015 People of the Bible: AmosScripture: Amos 1:1
Amos was the amateur that God called to be prophet. He had no intentions of becoming a prophet: he was a sheep breeder and fig tree grower, basically Amos was a farmer. Yet, he was called to be a prophet. He lived in a time of economic prosperity, but Amos could not separate the sacred from the secular. As a trader of goods, he began to read the signs of the times: realizing that the secular was affecting the sacred. God directed Amos to: "Go prophesy to my people." Amos went as directed to communicate God's message. He mustered the courage and overcame his own doubt. His eyes and ears were alert to the world around him. Amos brought a challenge: "Seek good and not evil, that you may live, hate evil and love good." Amos' message aroused varying responses: some responded with deeper levels of commitment, while others responded with bitterness. Commitment starts in the heart and affects our whole lives. Amos' message was saying this: the sacred should affect the secular, the secular should not affected the sacred. In our lives, are we allowing the secular to affect our spiritual walk? Is the world changing us or are we changing the world? Like Amos, we are called to reveal God's grace and mercy, while like Amos we may feel like amateurs trying to do so. Special privileges require special obligations. Special grace requires special holiness. Special revelation requires special scrutiny. Special love requires special responsiveness. 5/14/2015 What God Doesn't Need!Scriptures: 1 John 4:13-18
We as Christians can chose to live our lives two ways: we can live with thoughts of what negative might happen to us or we can live with thoughts of what is promised to us by God. The first is based on the fear and the second is based on faith. Both types of thinking can control our actions and our future: fear and faith are completely rooted in the input we receive. So how we do better understand the process of life? First, we must know that failure is not an event: its a reaction to an event. Second: setbacks do not change who we are in God. Third: we must remember who we are living this life for-Christ! Finally, we cannot use God's Word as an excuse to do stupid things. God is love: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." This verse is not about condemnation, but about the powerful nature of love. By putting our faith in God we inject His love into the events of our lives: love is more powerful than fear and faith. Fear and faith are human: but God is love. God doesn't need us to come up with answers, because He is the answer. God doesn't need our perfection: He is Holy. We just need to trust God a little bit more. |
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