Series: Dog Daze
Amos 5:1-6 MSG
Amos 5:7-9 MSG
*Amos 5:10-12 MSG
Most of the time in life we are confronted not by what we DO, but rather by what we do NOT do.
We may be given an opportunity to help someone in need and we know and understand the opportunity but we really need to take out the garbage and do some repair work on the house.
When we take out the garbage we meet a friend and because we haven’t seen them for a while we stop to chat.
Because we stopped to chat they invite us to go to dinner.
We still remember the important thing we need to do but before we do it we absolutely must make time for the kids. Your children are important and they really want you to help them with a project, so you explain it to them. I mean, that’s important right?
When you get back to the house you have just enough time to get ready to go eat dinner with your neighbor. After dinner you are tired so you get things ready for work the next day and you go to bed.
When you wake up you make a mental note to help the person who lives on the street who needs your help but first you have work to do, then you need to spend time with your children and you have a worship meeting you have to attend. Then you have to get ready for the work you need to do the next day.
You really want to spend time with God and you want to help the person in neeed when you have time…you didn’t forget.
In Amos 5:1-6 (MSG) the prophet wrote, “Listen to this, family of Israel, this Message I’m sending in bold print, this tragic warning: “Virgin Israel has fallen flat on her face. She’ll never stand up again. She’s been left where she’s fallen. No one offers to help her up.” This is the Message, God’s Word:“The city that marches out with a thousand will end up with a hundred. The city that marches out with a hundred will end up with ten. Oh, family of Israel!” God’s Message to the family of Israel: “Seek me and live. Don’t fool around at those shrines of Bethel, Don’t waste time taking trips to Gilgal, and don’t bother going down to Beer-sheba. Gilgal is here today and gone tomorrow and Bethel is all show, no substance.” So seek God and live! You don’t want to end up with nothing to show for your life but a pile of ashes, a house burned to the ground. For God will send just such a fire, and the firefighters will show up too late.”
So consider this: Israel knew they needed to spend time with God and they saw the poor every day but they didn’t really feel like they had time to stop and help. They had other obligations. Now what started out as a campfire in the neighborhood had turned into a burning inferno.
Then one day they were told, “Woe to you who turn justice to vinegar and stomp righteousness into the mud. Do you realize where you are? You’re in a cosmos star-flung with constellations by God, a world God wakes up each morning and puts to bed each night. God dips water from the ocean and gives the land a drink. God, God-revealed, does all this. And he can destroy it as easily make it. He can turn this vast wonder into total waste.” (Amos 5:7-9)
And you remember the ‘thing’ you were going to do when you had the chance. The problem is, now it’s too late.
In Amos 5:10-12 (MSG) the Prophet wrote to Israel, “People hate this kind of talk. Raw truth is never popular. But here it is, bluntly spoken: Because you run roughshod over the poor and take the bread right out of their mouths, You’re never going to move into the luxury homes you have built. You’re never going to drink wine from the expensive vineyards you’ve planted.I know precisely the extent of your violations, the enormity of your sins. Appalling!You bully right-living people, taking bribes right and left and kicking the poor when they’re down.”
You hear the words and you remember you really did intend to make time for God and you wanted to help others.
You sort of thought the timing didn’t matter…that wasn’t really a big deal, right?
You were just trying to survive and besides everyone else in your neighborhood was doing the same thing.
You just need to get through your “list” today and you have to make sure you get your work done.
Then you have an obligation to spend time with your children.
They ARE a priority, right?
Then you also need to get your family fed.
Isn’t that important?
And you need to get things lined up for the work you need to do tomorrow to make sure you have everything you need.
Isn’t it good to have a plan so you can properly care for your family?
And then, wow where did the day go?
The sun has set and it’s already time to get everyone in the house settled down for the night.
Just before you drop off to sleep you remember about the people in need. You really want to help when you have the time.
Spiritual Practice: How?
How is God calling you to help? Sit with God and ask.
In God, Deborah
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