Author Archives: gonelikeashadowatevening

Accountability, Bible, Calling, Commands, Consequences, God's Will

DO WHAT YOU’RE TOLD

AMOS 7:15

“But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’”

None of us like to be told what to do. As children, our parents told us what to do. In school, teachers told us what to do. When we get a job, our employer tells us what to do. In every part of our life, we are told what to do. But there is one other aspect of our life in which we are told what we should do – our spiritual life.

Amos continues his conversation with Amaziah in verse 15 today. He simply tells him that God had told him to do something, so he did it. It just so happened that this “something” required him to risk it all and prophesy against the nation of Israel and the king, Jeroboam. Amos knew the risk, but he obeyed anyway.

APPLICATION

The difference in all those former times in our lives and God is we are told by Him the dire consequences if we don’t obey. Now for sure, during those other times in lives there may have been consequences for disobedience. But none of them were eternal. That’s a big difference. However, the Lord will help us keep all that He requires. We just have to surrender.

The Lord gave Amos all he needed to go and deliver His message. He will give us all we need. We just have to trust Him. What has He asked you to do? I bet it wasn’t as outrageous as what He told Amos to do. Are you willing to do it? Will you obey?

Yielding to the Master isn’t always easy, but it is always the best decision. I have learned that the hard way. The times when I have fought against the Lord I have always lost. There’s no defeating Him. He will work His Will into your life in one way or the other. It’s so much easier to yield and obey. Will you today?

I am so thankful, Lord, that I have learned to obey. Your lessons are always beneficial for me.

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Advice, Bible, Calling, Commands, Direction, Leading

THAT’S NOT WHAT I AM

AMOS 7:14

“Then Amos replied to Amaziah, ‘I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.’”

Have you ever been mistaken for someone or something you’re not? It can happen to any of us. How do you respond? Do you immediately correct them, or do you play along for a bit? I like to play along. I like to string them along. I am just that way.

But not Amos. He corrects Amaziah quickly. He tells him that he was just minding his own business, tending his herds and fig trees. Then God called him to prophesy. And now that He has, he has to do it.

APPLICATION

You may not feel like you are worthy of God’s calling, but you are. God calls those who are available and willing to be used. I believe every one of us who have been called as His child has been given a very specific purpose. God wants us to fulfill it. It’s our purpose, not someone else’s.

Now, let me ask you a question. What is your calling? What has God called you to do? God has given you the skills or will give you the skills to do exactly what He has called you to do. Do you think for a second Amos felt qualified?

You may have heard it said before – God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. That’s who you are. You are called, and He will qualify you. He promises that. The question is will you allow Him to use you. He wants to and will.

I am willing, Lord. Qualify me!

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Belief, Bible, Calling, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Eternity, Gospel, Modeling, Prophesy, Scripture, Testimony, Witnessing

DON’T DO THAT HERE

AMOS 7:13

“But do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.”

Some people can get on your last nerve. Am I right? They have a way of annoying you and don’t even realize it. Some of the things they do aren’t bad. They are just irritating. For instance, someone who hums a lot can push you to your limit. The humming isn’t bad. It just never stops. You want to tell them to go hum someplace else.

Amaziah continues speaking to Amos in verse 13. That’s basically what he says. He tells Amos if he is gong to prophesy, do it someplace else. The king can’t be bothered. What Amos was saying might upset the king, and Amaziah didn’t want to see that. Hmmm, I wonder why.

APPLICATION

We should be so annoying. Let me explain. I don’t really want us to annoy people, but I do want us to continue to talk about Jesus. I want people to see me coming and know they are going to hear something about Jesus. I pray I say it in a way that encourages them and does not drive them away.

Being consistent in our witness is challenging. My circle of influence seems to be around “church folks.” I don’t get much exposure to non-believers. I have to purposely seek out that group. But that is something I need to be more consistent in doing.

My prayer for us today is that we all get busy. I pray we all can be as “annoying” as Amos was to Amaziah. I pray everything we say is true and points to Jesus. I pray the Lord leads people into our lives who need to hear this message of forgiveness and grace. Amen?

Lord, help us reach others with Your Word. Put those in our path today who need this lifegiving word from You.

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Abiding, Accountability, Accused, Advocate, Bible, Calling, Confrontation, Evangelism, Modeling, Prophesy, Scripture

GET OUT OF TOWN

AMOS 7:12

“Then Amaziah said to Amos, ‘Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there!’”

I have never been told to leave town. I can’t help but think about the old “Gunsmoke” show with Marshal Matt Dillon. I can still hear him tell the bad guy that he had better leave town now. Matt Dillon had the authority to do that. And if that dude knew what was best for him, he would do it.

Unlike Matt Dillon, Amaziah did not have the authority to tell Amos to leave Israel. He told him to flee to Judah, the southern kingdom. Israel didn’t want to hear Amos’ message from God. Maybe Judah could benefit from his words. Amaziah did not want to be convicted by anything that Amos said.

APPLICATION

Maybe you have been the one to tell someone else to leave or to shut up. Perhaps that person was confronting you about sin in your life, so you asked them to be quiet. Doing that does not minimize your sins. They are still there. The one who really matters, God, knows what you are doing.

Perhaps you feel like telling the preacher to be quiet. He needs to stop meddling in your affairs. How did he know what you have been doing? His message(s) have been aimed directly at you. You just know it. Or maybe God is simply using him to convict you and draw you back to Himself.

I am thankful the Word of God convicts me every day. Today’s verse reminded me that I need to cling closely to my Savior. I want to reside in His presence. And I want to be used by Him to draw others to Jesus. I need to be that voice of truth that others may want to silence (just like Amaziah did with Amos). Will you be used today?

Lord, You are good. All You do is good. Help me imitate You.

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Abiding, Bible, Choices, Deceit, Lies, Truth

HALF TRUTHS

AMOS 7:11

“For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”

Don’t you just love it when someone tells half the truth? That really irritates me. Sorry. It’s one thing to lie, but telling those half-truths are just as bad, maybe worse. Why? Because half-truths lead people away from the truth. They think they are hearing the truth but are only getting part of the story.

That is exactly what we have in verse 11. Amaziah, the “priest” installed by Jeroboam, was relating to the king what Amos had said. The problem is he was distorting Amos’ message. For one thing, Amos always said “thus saith the Lord.” He never implied any of his words were his own. Then Amaziah tells an outright lie. Amos never said Jeroboam would die by the sword. Sure, he did say they would be led into exile, but he also said if they repented, they would live. Half-truths are whole lies.

APPLICATION

I think the application is pretty clear, don’t you? Tell the truth. Don’t distort the message. Be clear when you deliver God’s message, which is His Word. Enough said. I could go on and on, but I don’t need to. Don’t lie.

Lying just leads us into more and more sin. It cascades into an unstoppable waterfall of lies. The truth is much easier to remember and tell. And who is the truth? Jesus. Just preach Jesus.

I struggle at times with this. I have to watch myself. I have to stay connected with the Spirit. I want to make sure that every word out of my mouth is the truth and nothing else. How about you? How do you handle the temptation to lie?

The truth is You, Lord. I am thankful You are always true!

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Accused, Anger, Bible, Blameless, Blessing, Confrontation, Consequences, Encouragement, Gossip, Holy Spirit, Jealousy, Lying

SQUEELER

AMOS 7:10

“Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.’”

No one likes a tattletale. I can remember growing up with my three siblings. We were constantly tattling on each other, usually to get the monkey off our own back. We figured if we blamed someone else, we could sneak by getting caught ourselves. It seldom worked, lol.

Amaziah runs to Jeroboam and tattles on Amos. But he says something that is completely false. He claims that Amos has conspired against the king hoping to get the king upset about losing his power. This imposter of a priest has no idea what is truth and what is falsehood.

APPLICATION

I bet you have had others tattle on you. I bet you have even had others spread falsehoods about you. It hurts, but what do you do about it? How should you respond? Luke 6:27-28 tells us. It says, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

What? You mean I can’t retaliate? Not according to Jesus. The truth will come out eventually. We have to be willing to endure the sufferings of doing what is right. We know that leads to God’s blessings. To lash out would undermine our witness and tear down the truth.

I am thankful the Lord has taught me that. My flesh would want to get that person back as quickly as possible. But the Spirit within me tells me otherwise. He tells me to love that person. He tells me to pray for that person. He tells me to trust the Father. Do you?

I am so thankful that You are my protector and defender. People may attack me and try to accuse me, but You know the truth.

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Accountability, Betrayal, Bible, Commands, Devil, Disciplemaking, Failures, Faithfulness, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Rebellion

THE REBELLIOUS

AMOS 7:9

“The high places of Isaac will become deserted, and the sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins. Then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Were you ever rebellious? Did you rebel against your parents? I have to say I did. In my teenage years, before Christ, I disobeyed my parents time and time again. I lived a lie. I professed one thing but did another. Fortunately, the Lord saw fit to rescue me before I did anything that would have cost me my life.

Jeroboam’s reign began with a rebellion against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. He split the kingdom by his act. Now, for sure, God used Jeroboam to carry out His plan, but Jeroboam went too far. He constructed idols and places of worship that went against God’s Word. For that he had to be punished. And so it came.

APPLICATION

Seeing the result of Jeroboam’s rebellion, does that make you want to go the straight and narrow? Probably not. If you are like me, my flesh still has a rebellious streak. Left to my own devices, I would choose the opposite of what God desires. But thanks be to God, my flesh has been defeated by the Spirit of God within me.

I am reminded of Romans 6:16 which says, “Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” It’s really our choice whom we will serve. But we cannot choose the consequences for our rebellious acts.

Just like Jeroboam, our rebellion has costs. I am so thankful for the Spirit of God that leads me to obedience each day. I can walk in victory knowing that my sins are forgiven. I can walk in victory because the price has been paid. I can walk in victory because the devil has already been defeated.

Lord God, I praise You for giving me Your Spirit to live in me. He keeps me on the straight and narrow.

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Accountability, Advice, Advocate, Belief, Bible, Confession, Destruction, Foundation, God's Will, Judgment

DEMO TIME

AMOS 7:8

“And the LORD said to me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will not spare them any longer.’”

When a wall is found to be out of plumb, there is only one thing to do if you can’t get it into plumb. You have to tear it down. Sometimes you can pull it back into plumb. That will take some pulleys or belts. You won’t be able to pull it back and set it straight by yourself. You may have to resign yourself that you have to tear it down and start over.

God is telling Amos in today’s verse that Israel is so out of plumb that He is going to have to tear them down in order to build them back up. It won’t be pleasant. There would be pain involved. People may question it. But God knows it has to be done.

APPLICATION

How far out of plumb are you? If God held a plumb line up against you, what would He find? That’s why it is so important to come to Him daily (for me, minute by minute) and confess our sins. By doing that, we are essentially “replumbing” our spiritual lives. We need that constant rebuild.

But when we have gone too far, God has to resort to a more severe method. He may just have to tear you down to build you up. None of us want that, do we? We want it to be a pleasant experience.

I only want to be plumb. I want to meet God’s standards for my building, not the world’s. I could be collapsing, and the world would say I am fine. Wow! Don’t trust the world’s architects and contractors. Trust the One who knows how to use the plumb line.

Thank You, Lord, for holding Your plumb line against me. Reshape me in Your image.

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Bible, Choices, Cleansing, Completeness, Consequences, Destruction, Disciplemaking, Discipline, Encouragement, Foundation, God's Will, Judgment

PLUMB LINE

AMOS 7:7

“So He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand.”

My dad was a great carpenter. I have mentioned that before. He had the ability to build just about anything. He was meticulous. He never hurried a project. When building a wall, he made sure the walls were plumb. He used a level most of the time, but he had a plumb line that he occasionally used, just to make sure.

The Lord used a plumb line in this vision He showed Amos. You see, God is a perfectionist. He will only allow to stand what is perfect and whole. Israel had gotten out of plumb. They were leaning the wrong direction. The Lord knew He had to tear them down in order to build them back straight.

APPLICATION

He will do the same to us. If we claim to represent Him, He demands that we stay in plumb. We can’t lean crooked. When we do, we put the whole structure in danger. If we lean too far or too long the rest of the building can collapse. We are part of a larger structure than just ourselves.

People are watching us. They see how we live our lives. If we lean out of plumb, we endanger them. We could cause them to reject the teachings of Christ because of the way we live. Our leanings could crush them.

O beloved, we are called to be God’s workmanship. 1 Corinthians 3:10 says, “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, but someone else is building on it. Each one should be careful how he builds.” There you are. We have to be careful. Use the plumb line. Make sure your walls are stable.

Lord, help me to build straight and true. Let whatever I build be built on You.

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Advocate, Bible, Blessing, Confession, Encouragement, Faithfulness, God's Will, Hope, Judgment, Listening, Prayer, Relationships, Salvation, Scripture

ANSWERED PRAYER

AMOS 7:6

“The LORD relented of this. ‘This too shall not be,’ said the Lord GOD.”

How do you see God answering prayers? I have seen Him answer them in all kinds of ways. I have seen people healed from illnesses. I have seen people come to Christ. I have even seen storms diverted. I know my God still answers prayers, even if I don’t always like the answer.

We saw this same action by God back in verse 3. God changed His mind then and changed it again here. He heard Amos cry out for Israel and withheld His hand of judgment again. What does this show about the Lord? I believe it shows He listens to us, even if we repeat ourselves. I believe it shows God’s mercy, even when we deserve judgment.

APPLICATION

God answered Amos’s prayers the same way. He withheld the planned and current judgment. He may answer your prayers in the same way. Then again, He may decide to answer it in a whole different way. The Lord knows what is best for us even when we don’t. We may think we know how we want Him to answer. We just don’t see what lies ahead.

I have prayed for healing for my children, protection on the road and even for our pets. There is really nothing I haven’t prayed for. In my years as a Pastor, I prayed for all kinds of family needs. What a joy to see so many of those prayers answered.

But the most joyous answered prayers are the ones for salvation. When I have the privilege to pray with someone as they accept Christ as their Savior, my heart overflows. That’s a prayer with eternal value. That’s a prayer that will last forever. I praise Him for hearing us and answering according to His Will for our lives and the lives of others.

I know You are still listening, Lord. I know You are working even now to answer my prayers.

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