F O O T H O L D
READING
89 JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
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PRAY Give me an
understanding mind and a receptive heart, as I study
your word, Lord.
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READ Amos 5:1-27.
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THINK Try to summarize in
one sentence what Amos wants to see in the
lives of the people.
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FOCUS THE CHOICE (1-13).
Amos faced the people with a choice - that
would first affect their
lives here and now, and secondly would
affect their destiny forever.
It was choice between law and love,
between treating those under
them severely and relating to them
in love and personal concern
(10-12). But the choice runs deeper
than this. In fact, it's a
matter of choosing between life with
God and living death (4,6).
THE RESPONSE (14-25).
SHALLOW OPTIMISM. These people make an easy
assumption that the Lord is
with them and that when 'the day of
the Lord' comes they will
have their eternal reward (18-20). But
it's not that simple. Their
hope is based solely on WORDS and not
DEEDS - in fact, their deeds
clearly deny the truth of what they
claim to believe, as the
rest of the reading shows.
SINCERE OBEDIENCE. Thank
God, there were people who lived by the
spirit of verses 14, 15 and
24, and there still are. Their true
goodness is fixed (15) and
flowing (24) - fixed, because it is
settled and determined
manner of living, and flowing, because it
is constantly bringing
blessing to new lives and situations.
'Shallow optimism' is,
imagining that merely SAYING that we
believe in the Lord is all
that is needed. 'Sincere obedience' is
that quality of daily life
which is seen when we genuinely open
up our lives to God.
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PRAY Pray for a holiness
that results in greater awareness of God's
presence and of people's
needs. Ask God to show what needs to be
done in your church.
