A Formula for Blessing

 I was not real good at math when I was in school. This was especially true when I took algebra and other courses where I had to use formulas to figure out the answers. For some reason my mind just couldn't comprehend what to plug into the formula to get the right answer. However, God doesn't make it hard for us to know the formula for blessing.

Amos was trying to get the people of God to turn back to the Lord and be blessed, instead of having to be punished for their sins. He made it very simple to understand what they needed to do. (Amos 5:15) "Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the Lord God of armies will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." I think any of us can understand this formula.

The first step to being blessed is to turn from our sins and to hate evil. We live in a time when people glorify evil, and it is bringing our country down. We must do the opposite from the world and hate evil. Then, we can set our hearts to love what is good. We must not do good just out of obligation or duty. We must love to do the will of the Lord.

At the same time we must work for justice to be done in our society and legal system. When justice is established, people will have a real incentive to do what is right. Doing these three things will get God's attention, and He will be gracious to us and our country. That means He will bless us with more than we deserve. That is what we need right now in our lives and in our country.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Amos 8-9 and Obadiah.