Amos 6:1-7.
Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,
and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come!
2 Go to Kalneh and look at it;
go from there to great Hamath,
and then go down to Gath in Philistia.
Are they better off than your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
3 You put off the day of disaster
and bring near a reign of terror.
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.
5 You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
your feasting and lounging will end.
A very self-explanatory section of God’s word to Israel and Judah. We may not be lounging on couches, in fact we can sometimes be over busy. We may not be dining on the finest food; we may simply be trying to stretch our budget. Yet have we grown complacent in our faith, take it for granted that all will be well, pouring all our energy into programs rather than our walk with God and pursue the things that matter to Him, justice and mercy. Are our good works of God or of people? When studying 1 Cor 4 on the character of leadership and judging I was struck by how Amos spoke into that section around how we lead, what matters, where leadership needs to be rooted, what God is after in His people.
Father may we allow You to be the One who we follow fully, whose voice rings clearest to us, for the implications of following Him and the cost that will bring. In Jesus name we pray.
Joshua's Tree Rooted 