God Passes Judgment

Amos 2:4-8

Few Christians consider their home congregation ripe for God’s judgment. In studying about Judah and Israel, let’s accept the possibility that their experience has a warning for us. Might God have reason to judge our home congregations?

Choosing legalism instead of loving God’s Law. Many Christians despise God’s law by seeing it as a rule book that must be enforced in their lives and the lives of others. Their primary concern is for the specifics of the law, not its Spirit. Thus they end up trivializing the Word by not loving it. How do you and your congregation view and relate to the Word of God?

Overlooking obedience. Many Christians sincerely love the Word of the Lord. They live by it as best they know. But they are satisfied with that level of obedience. None of us dare become complacent about our knowledge of and obedience to God’s will. We must search the Scriptures, asking God for further knowledge of His will so that we might walk in that also. Does this describe you and your congregation?

Passively going after the previous generation. In Amos, God’s people were judged for erring after the same errors and sins of their fathers. No matter how godly our heritage, our task isn’t to preserve the status quo. That will doom us to repeat the errors of our forbearers. We must be discerning in taking up the faith of our fathers, building on that which is godly and Biblical as well as casting aside anything which falls short of that holy standard. How are you and your congregation doing?

(Adapted from Judgment on Judah and Israel)

I appreciate the rich heritage of faith and practice left to me by my Christian and Anabaptist forefathers. I want to follow in their steps. In following the faith of our fathers, though, we cannot allow our appreciation for them to obscure the reality that they were as prone to error as we are. That means we take their faith and practice as a starting point, not as the finish line.

Let’s determine to know God, His Word, and His ways. God’s Spirit will show us when and where the faith of our fathers needs maturing in our own lives.

Adapted from The Blessing of Faithful Families

He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul (Proverbs 15:32)

I know the Almighty can’t be overloaded and overwhelmed. But my rejection of Him and His ways burdens Him tremendously.

Why should I be a burdensome to Him? Like the person who wants his own way no matter how much worry, turmoil, and grief it means to those who care about him?

I want to be a source of joy and satisfaction to God. I want to bring lightness to His heart.

Excerpted from Overloading God?

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