Verse of the day: Amos 5:14-15 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
How easy it is to fall into the trap of going through religious rituals, and thinking that just being religious is pleasing to God. Too often, when times are good, and we have plenty, it is easy to become complacent in our relationship with the Lord. Even worse is when we live corrupt lives, but deceive ourselves into thinking that doing good works will cover up our acts of wickedness. This is where the Northern Kingdom found itself. It was a time of prosperity, but they were corrupt. They cared not for the poor, practiced idolatry, and their justice system was corrupt. They used their religious rituals, traditions, and customs, to cover up the fact that their outer display of religion was contrary to where their hearts were...far away from God. Amos was warning them of God's coming judgement; for they did not know that they were on the brink of their captivity, and enslavement, under the Assyrians. We must be careful that we not think that we are "okay" simply because God allows us to prosper. It is false thinking to assume God is pleased simply because He allows us, as His children, to experience His goodness; for the sun rises on both the evil, and the good, and He sends rain on the just and unjust (Matt 5:45) What He is trying to accomplish with His goodness is to turn us to repentance (Rm 2:4). Amos commands these deceived people to turn from evil, and seek good. However, they were not just to turn from evil, but they were to hate it. These verses are not just an encouragement to do good. They are a command given for complete reformation, not just of the individual, but the entire corrupt system. That command still stands today. It is not enough to cover up our wickedness with acts of good. God sees deep beneath our "religion", and goes right to the heart of the matter. It is not enough to just stop doing evil. We are to allow God to perform a complete overhaul, from the inside out. Just like Amos was boldly warning the Northern Kingdom of the coming judgement, so we today need to be mindful, and warning others, of the fact that all of us, whether saved or unsaved, will give account for our lives. The unsaved must give account for their sins, and be punished, so turn to Jesus, and call on Him, before it is too late! We, as His children, though we are not condemned (Rm 8:1), still have great responsibility, and accountability, for the way we live for Him. We are not excused from living righteous, and holy, lives. We will be accountable for how we serve our Lord, and represent Him, here on earth. For us, there will be either gain or loss of reward, base on how we have built our lives on the Foundation that is Jesus (1 Cor 3:11-15). Let us not forget that as His children, when we choose evil, regardless of how much of the world's riches He allows us to have, we will not escape the chastening of our Heavenly Father (Heb 12:3-11). That chastening could come in the form of loosing all that He has allowed us to gain. In the blink of an eye, we could lose it all. This was where the Northern Kingdom eventually found itself. The wealthiest of God's people found themselves with nothing, poor as those they neglected, and slaves to the Assyrians. Let us not wink at God's warning. Be grateful for His goodness, and let His goodness drive us to repentance. Let draw near to God, purify our hearts (James 4:8), turn from our wicked way, and allow God to show us where we need reformation so that our outward good works come from a heart that desires, and strives, to be right with God first.
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