Amos 4:1-6:14 ~ Revelation 2:18-3:6 ~ Psalm 130:1-8 ~ Proverbs 29:21-22
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Old Testament - Today in Amos chapters 4, 5, & 6 we read about Israel's failure to listen, a call to repentance, and warning of coming Judgment. Chapter 4 verse 13 stood out to me in today's readings: "For the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his every thought. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads the mountains under his feet. The LORD God Almighty is his name!" Here we are reminded that God is the creator of all things, and he still is in control of what happens in the present time. He is the past, present, and future. I like that phrase, "reveals his every thought." Meaning, God wants His ways, His character, His thoughts, His love to be known by all. Do you believe God reveals His every thought to us? Where might we best find out what God's every thought is? Do you want to know God's thoughts above all else?
I think chapter 5 verse 14 today is a good reminder and warning to each of us: "Do what is good and run from evil--that you may live! Then the LORD God Almighty will truly be your helper, just as you have claimed he is." I believe that sometimes we think we can overcome evil through our own sheer will power. Or that we can change evil. This verse reminds us to simply RUN! I like that reminder. Sometimes you just gotta get out of Dodge to avoid evil influencing you or overtaking you. Are there temptations or bad habits in your life that you have been trying to overcome, battle, change - and perhaps you should just RUN from them? Flee from them? So that you may truly live?
Amos chapter 6 verse 5 stood out to me for some reason today: "You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and you fancy yourselves to be great musicians, as King David was." I guess a couple of things jumped out at me here. First, the singing idle songs to the sound of the harp made me ask myself, are we sometimes idle with our time? When perhaps God is wanting us to be purposeful or intentional with our time? Don't get me wrong - rest is good. But, is idleness good? I think rest can be purposeful and intentional and healthy. Or it can potentially be just the opposite.
Next - do we sometimes fancy ourselves to be "great musicians as King David was" - meaning, do we sometimes try to pretend to be someone who we are not? Are we masking over who we really are, and playing fake? Should we instead be real? And sincere? And intentional and purposeful? I guess I'm just getting at here - are there times when we are being fake? When, perhaps God is simply calling us to simply be real? To be who we are? Who are you? If you need to, will you take off your mask and just be who God made you to be?
New Testament - Today in Revelation we continue to read Jesus' messages to the 7 churches in Asia Minor - see yesterday's posting below for a map of where these 7 churches were located. Also, don't forget the powerful vision that John saw of Jesus in Revelation chapter 1 verses 12 through 14 and verse 20 just before we began reading these messages to the 7 churches: "When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance... This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."
To order prints visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.
Revelation chapter 2 verse 19 is awesome as Jesus says: ""I know all the things you do--your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things." How are you doing in these areas in your life? Are you focusing on love, faith, service and patience? Are you constantly improving in these areas in your life?
Revelation chapter 3 verse 3 is powerful from Jesus: "Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again." My thought here is that sometimes we are so on fire for our faith in Jesus and God – particularly when we first believe. And then this fire and initial strong faith begins to wane over time. And to a degree, this is okay. We will not be on the "mountaintop" all of the time – we must traverse through the valleys as well. But, if perhaps we’ve been camped out in the valleys for a bit too long now, is it possible that we might need to go back to what we heard and believed at first? Might we need to hold to these first beliefs more firmly? And turn to Jesus again? This Advent and Christmas season, will you return to Jesus once again? Will you return to the Manger in Bethlehem?
Psalms - Psalm 130 is amazing today! Each verse is jam packed with good stuff to think about.... Actually - if you get a chance - please read through each of these verses again, and meditate for a moment on each one and what each verse might be speaking into your life and your heart. I think you will find tons of relevant meditations in this Psalm for your life. Today in Psalm 130 verse 5 we read - "I am counting on the LORD; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word." Are you counting on God in your life? Really counting on him? Have you put your hope in his Word, the Bible? Do you believe that reading and meditating and reflecting on the Bible can transform your life and your relationship with God? What is your plan next year to stay in God’s Word each and every day? Should you have a plan to be in God’s Word each and every day?
Proverbs - Proverbs 29 verse 21 teaches us today: "A servant who is pampered from childhood will later become a rebel." This is a good reminder not to spoil others - and how about not spoiling ourselves? For some reason this verse reminds me of this old adage, paraphrased here - "God, please don't make me too rich that I forget about you. Nor too poor that I curse you." Let us be cautious not to be spoiled, nor to spoil others in our lives... :)
YouTube: Today's readings in Revelation remind me of the Christmas carol "Do You Hear What I Hear" performed here by Josh Wilson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0y4ZS0Upk4
Do you hear what I hear? Click here and hear all about Jesus!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. " Psalm 130:6 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you wait for the Lord each and every day. Pray that you are patient in your wait for the Lord.
Comments from you: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.p.s. Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.p.p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today. Thanks!
Amos 4:1-6:14
When God is trying to get our attention, He is definitely politically correct, NOT.
HEAR THIS word, you cows [women] of Bashan who are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, Bring and let us drink! [Ps. 22:12; Ezek. 39:18.]
(Amos 4:1 AMP)
I can see, in my minds eye, a large contingent of the politically correct cops, rebuking God for calling the women of Bashan, cows. Demonstrations galore held around the globe to get God to change His Words. God speaks to get our attention to shock us into “right” thinking and behaving. He does not speak out to make us feel good or to insult us, though we may take offense. Maybe the key to changing our lives is to stop taking offence and to consider if what is being said is truth and gaining the wisdom to understand that if “folks ain’t calling your name, don’t answer.”
Wow! In God there is no other life. What we think is a party and living it up: sex, drugs and rock and roll, is nothing but death outside of God. Jesus said that He was the Vine and we, the branches (John 15:1-4). Branches cut from the Vine may stay green for a while, living off the life within the branch, but without a consistent life source, Jesus, we will die.
The Lord says this to the family of Israel: "Seek me so you can live! Do not seek Bethel! Do not visit Gilgal! Do not journey down to Beersheba! For the people of Gilgal will certainly be carried into exile; and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds." Seek the Lord so you can live! Otherwise he will break out like fire against Joseph's family; the fire will consume and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel.
(Amos 5:4-6 NET.)
It’s amazing how deceived I was when I thought that anything having to do with God brought death, darkness and sadness. Well, in truth, the Christians around me weren’t actually bubbling over with life, joy, peace and happiness. Believers should be the happiest folks on earth and we should not be running off to the worlds “Happiest Place,” Disney, to try to bring joy to our lives. Without Christ, no matter the environment or situation, there is no Joy. Believers should bring a fragrance, the sweet smell of Jesus Christ, no matter if it’s the darkest, rankest environment on the earth. The Joy of the Lord is our strength.
Proverbs 29:21-22
It struck me as I read the 22nd verse,
22A hot-tempered person starts fights and gets into all kinds of sin,
This is not just a pity saying or an astute observation this is a stated fact. I have a tendency to try to soften or temper an angry person’s wrath, thinking that I might be able to ease their anger by showing them the way, but it has never worked. I keep jumping in to the fray, and then I have to turn and jump out with some injury to myself. Our temper, or lack of one is a product of self-control, which as the word implies is rooted in “self.”
This verse does not say that the “hot-tempered” person may start a fight if the situation is right and they possibly may sin, it says they will. So how do you help or minister to a person like this? In another part of the Book of Proverbs, I believe we can find the answer; we don’t rescue them or shield them from the consequences of their anger.
Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger; if you try to make it better, you'll only make it worse.
(Proverbs 19:19 MSG)
I usually find myself befriending people who I know have bad tempers, but because they are not angry with me, I overlook it then try to speaking to them gently regarding some of the things or people they blow up over. Fast forward several years in the future and they become angry with me, the things they allow to cause them great anguish are still there, and now they are even angrier.
Just some things for me to think about. One being, why I think I can change something that scripture clearly speaks of as being part of “self-control.” Anger, like self-control is a choice, an act of the will God has given to us freely.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
Posted by: Ramona | December 10, 2015 at 08:49 PM