Bible Chapter: Amos 7 & 8

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
The sovereign Lord showed Amos two visions of God’s judgment on Israel.  They were a swarm of locust and extreme heat.  Both would bring great destruction and mass starvation.
As I was reading, one passage jumped out to me.  It is when God showed Amos a vision of the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line.  God was using a plumb line to see if the wall was straight.  There is one thing about a plumb line, that, when used correctly, it will always establish a perfect vertical line.  It will always show if a building project is straight or out of plumb.  God said He would test the people with His spiritual plumb line.  It was His unchanging standard of truth righteousness to see if they were being obedient or sinning.  God’s plumb line of truth never changes.  When He checked, Israel was found to be out of plumb and crooked by God’s standards.  One of the reasons they were out of line with God’s standards was the spiritual leader, Amaziah.  He was a priest who openly rejected God’s prophet and his message.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Amos 8:5 talks about the Sabbath.  This was a very important time for them to set aside a day each week when they would worship God, when they would focus on HIM.  But, they were ignoring the Sabbath and breaking God’s rules.  The merchants were anxious for the Sabbath to be over so they could sell and make more money.  Christians have long established Sunday as a day of worship.  It used to be a well-respected and unique day.  It used to be a very special day. Now, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between Sunday and any other day of the week.  Anything and everything happens on Sunday.  It is not a priority for worship and rest.  It is not a priority over recreation or convenience.  People attend church when it fits their schedule.  They easily let almost anything interfere with worshiping God and spending time in His presence with others who love and serve Him.  If believers in Jesus would change their priorities regarding a day of rest and worship, many thing would change for the good.  God needs to be our top priority.

3.  How can I help someone?
Especially speaking to those who claim to follow Jesus, inspect your schedule and priorities.  Do you make time for worship and studying God’s Word to be high on your list?  It is an automatic that you will go to church and be actively involved?  Do you have to figure out if you can make it to church this week or not?  It should be a given, short of emergency, that you are in God’s house.