September 23 - Amos 4-6
I have told the members of my church family that sometimes I get tired of reading about all the sin and judgment in the Prophets, because it is the same theme over and over. However, I realize that I should not be that way, when I read a passage like this one. Sin is such a threat to our relationship with God that we must be on constant watch for its presence in our lives. We must eliminate it as soon as possible, or it will destroy us.
In this passage Amos recounts how God sent one punishment after another on His people, but they would not listen and repent. The men and the women just kept getting drunk and going on their merry way. They did not heed the signs that God was angry with them. What was the reason for this? Look at Amos 5:15. Here is the key. It is never enough to love good. We must hate evil and love good. When a society tries to love good and condone evil at the same time, the evil will corrupt the society to the point that the good is destroyed, too. The same is true for a person. A person can love to do good, to help others, to be charitable. However, if that person lives in sin, the sin will destroy his or her life, so that he or she can't do good any more. We must begin by hating sin! This must be the starting point.
The other theme of this passage is the Day of the Lord. Some people want the Day of the Lord to come, but they don't realize that it will be a terrible time for them. Those who have unforgiven or unconfessed sin will receive severe judgment on that day. For many it will be a day of darkness instead of light. God can't overlook any sin on the Judgment Day unless it has been forgiven by the blood of Jesus. This happens when we repent of our sins and trust Christ as Lord and Savior, but it also comes into play when a Christian sins after salvation. We must confess our sins, so Jesus can cleanse them out of our lives. We are sure we are going to heaven, but we must still hate sin. We must desire to live free from sin, instead of trying to be a Christian living in sin. That is why John wrote I John 1:9. Please, consider this verse, and let God show you the need to confess and be cleansed after you are born again. I believe most Christians neglect this aspect of dealing seriously with sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Amos 7-9.
In this passage Amos recounts how God sent one punishment after another on His people, but they would not listen and repent. The men and the women just kept getting drunk and going on their merry way. They did not heed the signs that God was angry with them. What was the reason for this? Look at Amos 5:15. Here is the key. It is never enough to love good. We must hate evil and love good. When a society tries to love good and condone evil at the same time, the evil will corrupt the society to the point that the good is destroyed, too. The same is true for a person. A person can love to do good, to help others, to be charitable. However, if that person lives in sin, the sin will destroy his or her life, so that he or she can't do good any more. We must begin by hating sin! This must be the starting point.
The other theme of this passage is the Day of the Lord. Some people want the Day of the Lord to come, but they don't realize that it will be a terrible time for them. Those who have unforgiven or unconfessed sin will receive severe judgment on that day. For many it will be a day of darkness instead of light. God can't overlook any sin on the Judgment Day unless it has been forgiven by the blood of Jesus. This happens when we repent of our sins and trust Christ as Lord and Savior, but it also comes into play when a Christian sins after salvation. We must confess our sins, so Jesus can cleanse them out of our lives. We are sure we are going to heaven, but we must still hate sin. We must desire to live free from sin, instead of trying to be a Christian living in sin. That is why John wrote I John 1:9. Please, consider this verse, and let God show you the need to confess and be cleansed after you are born again. I believe most Christians neglect this aspect of dealing seriously with sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Amos 7-9.