Today’s Reading, Amos 1-5
Focal Scripture: Amos 5:4 “For the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live!”
If you have served in student ministry or ever helped with an all nighter you know what underground church is as soon as you read those words. If you are not familiar with it, it is like hide and seek where people can go to jail and even get released. Students love it and it really does build good relationships and communication. The point of hide and seek is to search out and find people.
In today’s reading the prophet Amos is declaring the judgements upon Israel and their condemnation of sin. However, the Lord gives grace a mercy and it is found in a simple phrase, “Seek God and live”! Here the people are facing judgement that is serious and powerful. Judgment that is for punishment and for cleansing. The only way to avoid this personally is to forsake sin and seek the Lord.
The same is true for everyone who wants to avoid judgement from God, they must seek God to live. Most people get uncomfortable when you bring up biblical judgement. They believe it is unloving and unfair. They believe it is something that only fundamentalist teach. They believe Jesus is only about love and he doesn’t have a standard of judging sin. However, we know that to be untrue.
So what does this mean for us as believers? It means we must declare that the only way for people to avoid eternal judgment is to point them to Christ and have them seek him with their entire hearts. This is not something that people naturally do and only happens when the spirit does a work in the hearts of people. When it does happen people must be ready to respond to the truth of the scriptures.
That truth is this: repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We need to pray for hearts to see the Lord and be receptive to his leading and work. It is the only way to be saved. God saves souls and nobody is qualified.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Amos 6-9
