Faithfully Yours Forever

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:9-21&version=NIV
Passage: Romans 12:9-21
Verse: Romans 12:9 (NIV)
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Today’s passage is about the “DOs” and “Don’t” of love in action.  In addition to reading that love must be sincere and that we are to Hate what is evil and cling to what is good, we read that we are to do these things also [vs. 10-16a]:

• Be devoted to one another in love
• Honor one another above yourselves
• Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord
• Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer
• Share with the Lord’s people who are in need
• Practice hospitality
• Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse
• Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn
• Live in harmony with one another

Sounds like a blessed life to me!

This passage continues to tell us what we should NOT do.  We are told [vs. 16b-19a, 21]:

• Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position
• Do not be conceited
• Do not repay anyone evil for evil, instead be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone and if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
• Do not take revenge
• Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

May you rejoice in doing… and not doing… those things that are written of in Romans 12:9-21.  May we, in doing these things, be blessed.

(inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos%206:1-14&version=NIV
Passage: Amos 6:1-14
Verse: Amos 6:12b (NIV)
But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.

Are we on fire for the Lord or have we become complacent? Amos tells us woe to the complacent… for their feasting and lounging will end. Are we pleased with what we have been able to accomplish in our lives? Do we feel we are deserving of the material things around us because of all our hard work? Amos also tells us that the Lord abhors the pride of [His chosen people]. These words of warning, from the prophet Amos, are intended for us today just as much as they were intended for God’s people in Amos’ day. May we consider these things as we seek to live our lives for the Lord. May we plead for God’s mercy and forgiveness as we continually see our need for Him. May we cling to the righteousness we find through our relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. As it is written in Philippians 3:12 and 3:14, may we press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of [us]. May we live our lives according to God’s will for us and our lives. May our hearts and minds be open to the work of the Holy Spirit as we press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos%205:18-27&version=NIV
Passage: Amos 5:18-27
Verse: Amos 5:24 (NIV)
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

This passage speaks of the Day of the Lord.  Let us not be confused about what the Scriptures tell us.  Today’s passage begins with Amos 5:18 by telling us woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Then asks us why do you long for the day of the Lord? We are reminded that day will be darkness, not light.  However, we also are told, as 2 Peter 3:13 records, that in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

According to The Expositor’s Bible Commentary,
“The day of the LORD thus represents the whole series of events beginning with the outpouring of God’s judgment during the Great Tribulation and continuing until the final transformation with the new heavens and new earth (2 Peter 3:10).”

“But the day that begins in the darkness of wrath breaks forth into the glory of divine blessing (cf. Isa 60:2). God’s judgment of wickedness is for the purpose of delivering the righteous and establishing his rule in which his glory is manifest for the blessedness of all creation. Even nature will be freed from the bondage of the curse (Isa 11).”¹

May we be reminded of what the Lord requires… act justly, with mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord.  In the end, He will let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)
 
¹Saucy, Robert L. “A. The Hope of the World” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Volume 1. 107. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, © 1979.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos%205:1-17&version=NIV
Passage: Amos 5:1-17
Verse: Amos 5:14 (NIV)

Seek good, not evil, that you may live.  Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

This passage, in the NIV version of the Holy Bible, is titled A Lament and Call to Repentance.  We read of the reasons for the Lord’s lamentation.  He calls for His people to repent and turn from their evil ways.   In an earlier passage we learned of the remnant.  It is mentioned in this passage too.  We can be… and may we be… found among the remnant.  To that end, may we choose to focus upon those things in this passage that, in addition to a genuine heart of repentance, will guide us toward restoration.

• This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live…”[v. 4].
• Again, we are told: Seek the Lord and live… [v. 6a].
• We are also reminded that the prudent [the wise, the practical, and those who exercise good judgment and common sense] keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil [v. 13].
• May we keep looking ahead to the future and remember to seek good, not evil, that [we] may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is [v. 14].
• May we hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. [Then], perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

(inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos%204:1-13&version=NIV
Passage: Amos 4:1-13
Verse: Amos 4:13 (NIV)

He who forms the mountains,
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.

Oh, now this is getting personal.  In this passage of Scripture, God’s people, Israel, are being called to account.  God’s questions are actually more of an indictment, or a statement of fact, than they are actual questions to be answered.  Do we live a life of luxury and leisure time activities, while we continue to oppress the poor and crush the needy by our indifference or neglect?  Ouch!  I hope not, but sometimes we do not see how blessed we really are… or how needy others around us may be.  May we see through the eyes of our Lord today.  May we see what He sees.  May the Holy Spirit provide the wisdom, power, and means for us to act justly and with mercy in some small way today.  God continues, in this passage, to question the motives we have for the things we do that appear to be honorable and good.  May the Holy Spirit check our hearts today and replace any selfish desire or ambition with the heart of a true servant of the Lord.  May we be found faithful to you and your ways, Lord God Almighty.  May we be able to avoid the need for correction as we return to you.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2012:15-21&version=NIV
Passage: Matthew 12:15-21
Verse: Matthew 12:21 (NIV)
 In his name the nations will put their hope.

Have you been chosen by God to be one of His servants?  Have you been touched by His Holy Spirit?  Oh, if you say yes to these questions, does God have a plan for you and your life!  One of the Old Testament prophets proclaimed:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

It is about justice, mercy, and humbly being in a relationship with the Lord.

May the Lord, our God be delighted with His servants today.  May the Holy Spirit be at work in us and through us today.  May we point those we love and care about, in addition to those we meet, work with, or are acquainted with, to our Lord and Savior by our words, actions, and deeds.  May we do and see justice done and may victory in Christ come.  Remember, this day and always, where our hope comes from – it comes from the Lord.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos%203:7-15&version=NIV
Passage: Amos 3:7-15
Verse: Amos 3:12 (NIV)
As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth… so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued….

God has a plan… and there is light at the end of the tunnel!  While the various prophetical books in the Bible begin with warnings to God’s people and then describe the destruction that is to follow, they end with a hope for the future.  We are beginning to turn the corner in the book of Amos.  We read of the remnant – there is a group of God’s people who will be rescued… a group that will survive all of the destruction around them.  Many parallels can be drawn between Old Testament, New Testament, and many other times throughout history.  May we learn from them and be reassured.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.  Darkness cannot exist in the light.  Let us continue if the light of Jesus Christ.  Let us seek to be among the remnant.  May the God of love and mercy provide comfort and encouragement to you today.  May you see the light at the end of the tunnel, give thanks, and be blessed.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos%202:13-3:6&version=NIV
Passage: Amos 2:13-3:6
Verse: Amos 3:2 (NIV)
“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

We are still in that portion of the book of Amos that stings a bit or maybe even cuts us to the core.  Who would want to hear that the word the Lord has spoken against you?  We want to believe that God will always care for us, guide us, provide for us, and yes … He will always protect us.  Why do we believe this?  Because He told us He would do these things for us and we know God is faithful.  We know it takes two to have a relationship, so how about us?  Do we do what we say we will do?  Are we faithful?  When we decided we wanted to be one of God’s chosen people, we entered into a covenant with Him.  We want the benefits, but are we willing to hold up our end of the deal?  We are to love Him.  Do we?  How do show Him we love Him?  Could it be we are to listen and obey?  While the selected verse indicates God will punish us for our sins, we have a place of redemption, through Jesus Christ.  May we positively respond to the call of Christ!  In other places in Scripture it indicates that all God has to do for things to go horribly wrong on earth, and for us, is for Him to withdrawn His hand of protection from us, a people, or a nation.  People, because of their fallen nature, will do the rest.  It doesn’t take long for the things of this broken and fallen world to fall in around us when God yields to us and allows us to go our own way.  May we seek to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength… and then love our neighbor as ourselves?  May we show our love for Him through obedience… because we love Him, not because of the benefits we expect to receive.  If our relationship with the Lord, our God, is lacking, let us own our responsibility for maintaining the covenant.  May we step up to the plate, do our part, and be blessed.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos%202:6-12&version=NIV
Passage: Amos 2:6-12
Verse: Amos 2:7a (NIV)
They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.

We are told that the Lord will relentlessly judge and punish those that seek to hurt God’s people.  However, we are also told that He will hold His own people accountable too.  While we may not do the types of evil that some others, who do not know the Lord, might do, we do often fall short of God’s standards for right and holy living.

Do we trample on the heads of the poor… [or] deny justice to the oppressed?  It is for those and other willful violations of God’s law that Jesus, the Christ, came to earth.  It seems today’s passage speaks of some of the more subtle violations of God’s law [like the ones we might be tempted to sweep under the rug] as being the ones that God’s people sometimes seem to think they can still do… and yet remain judgment free.  However, this passage also seems to tell us that even God’s people will have to give an account.  Our God is forgiving.  He is patient.  He gives us many opportunities to respond positively toward Him, His ways, and His covenant with us.  Our God is faithful, but he is holy and just.  May we accept His offer of grace… a grace sufficient to repent and be changed.  May we see our shortcomings, sweeping nothing under the rug, and cry out for His mercy.  May we claim the promises found in Christ… to be redeemed and restored.  May we walk humbly with the Lord, our God and be blessed in a special way today.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)