A Famine for the Words of the Lord God
We would be lost without the words of God. There is no way I can overstate the severity of a famine of the word of God. Yes, a famine for food and water is terrible. People die physically without food and water. However, people die spiritually for eternity without the word of God. God told Amos to tell us that one day He would send such a famine.(Amos 8:11,12) This should make all of us stop and think.
I am not sure if Amos' prophecy about this famine was referring to the 400 Silent Years between the Old Testament and the New Testament or a famine in the latter days before the end of time. I am just struck by the results of such a famine, and I would ask us all, "Would we be prepared for a famine of the word of God if it occurred in our lifetime?" Would each of us know enough of God's Word to survive a famine and to be able to share what we know with those around us who are searching until it is all gone from the earth?
I once heard it put this way. What if you were locked up in a prison without a Bible. How much of it would you have memorized so that you could remember it correctly and possibly write it down? I believe the answer to that question shows how much we value God's Word. We are told to "hide it in our hearts." Do we? Is it a priority to know God's Word? We need to be prepared for this famine, if it comes in our lifetime.
People can know God exists by His revelation of Himself through nature, but they can't be saved without hearing the Lord of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.(Romans 10::17) Unless people know the specific message of the Gospel of Christ, they can't turn from their sins and trust Him as the Lord who died on the Cross and rose again for their sins. They can't be saved, so they are lost forever. We must preserve the Word of God in our hearts so that there will not be a complete famine as long as we are alive.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jonah 1-3.
I am not sure if Amos' prophecy about this famine was referring to the 400 Silent Years between the Old Testament and the New Testament or a famine in the latter days before the end of time. I am just struck by the results of such a famine, and I would ask us all, "Would we be prepared for a famine of the word of God if it occurred in our lifetime?" Would each of us know enough of God's Word to survive a famine and to be able to share what we know with those around us who are searching until it is all gone from the earth?
I once heard it put this way. What if you were locked up in a prison without a Bible. How much of it would you have memorized so that you could remember it correctly and possibly write it down? I believe the answer to that question shows how much we value God's Word. We are told to "hide it in our hearts." Do we? Is it a priority to know God's Word? We need to be prepared for this famine, if it comes in our lifetime.
People can know God exists by His revelation of Himself through nature, but they can't be saved without hearing the Lord of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.(Romans 10::17) Unless people know the specific message of the Gospel of Christ, they can't turn from their sins and trust Him as the Lord who died on the Cross and rose again for their sins. They can't be saved, so they are lost forever. We must preserve the Word of God in our hearts so that there will not be a complete famine as long as we are alive.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jonah 1-3.