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Day 4 Amos 4 Amos 4:1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. 2 The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. 3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, says the LORD. 4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: 5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this likes you, O ye children of Israel, says the Lord GOD. 6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, says the LORD. 7 And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, says the LORD. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, says the LORD. 10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, says the LORD. 11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, says the LORD. 12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13 For, lo, he that forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares unto man what is his thought, that makes the morning darkness, and treads upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. How many of you have stubborn children? You do everything you can to make them see reason and understand what is right, but they don’t listen, and continue doing what they’ve always done. God has stubborn children. Us. We tend to do things our way. We give no thought or reason for why we do what we do, except that it’s fun, or earns us an income, or everyone is doing it. Stubbornness is in us from the moment we’re born. God did everything he could too, to bring his people back to him, to show them his love for them, yet they refused. They continued in their way, following after idols, false gods who couldn’t help them in any way, protect them from their enemies, or give them the desires of their hearts. God even told them to prepare to meet him, giving them his credentials. For, lo, he that forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares unto man what is his thought, that makes the morning darkness, and treads upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name. Do you think you are exempt from knowing God, from walking in his ways, from fulfilling the purpose he has for you? It would seem that way, as the world falls further from the truth of God’s Word, doing whatever they please. Yet, God will never take his love from you, as he continues to pursue you, waiting patiently for you to turn your attention to him, and let him take hold of your life, for your good. Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (KJV) As Christians, you accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. You opened the door for him to come into your lives. Yet, have you been faithful? Have you allowed him to take first place in your life, showing you the path you should follow? Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (KJV) What things will God add to your life when you put him first? David gave us a recipe for an abundant life: Trust, Delight, Commit, Rest, Cease, Inherit Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. Israel refused to acknowledge God as their God and the only one who could bring them out of the captivity of their soul and life. They preferred to walk in darkness, allowing sin to govern their lives. Yet, God pursued them, loved them, and kept his promises to them, despite their disobedience. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV) How much does God love you? He loves you so much, he sent his Son, Jesus, to die for you and show you the way of salvation. And he will continue to pursue you until you decide you want what he offers, or you fully reject him. Prepare to meet your God. Let’s pray: Father, your love for me is written on every page of your Word. You pursue me with perfect love. You want me to be with you for eternity. You showed me the way. Help me walk in the way you provided for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 7 March 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay