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June | June 23, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
5531 – June 23 (3184 – June 24)
Amos was not a professional prophet. Nor did he grow up in a prophet’s
home. His profession was agriculture. He was a shepherd and cared
for an orchard of sycamore-fig trees.
He didn’t seek the position of
prophet. He was as it were arrested by God and commissioned to go and
prophesy to Israel. According to the book of Amos, chapter 7 verses 10-13,
the priest Amaziah opposed him.
He sent a message to Jeroboam, the king,
accusing Amos of conspiring against him and his people. Then he confronted
Amos in verses 12-13 and said, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of
Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t
prophesy anymore at Bethel.
This is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of
the kingdom.” What the priest was saying is, “The king calls the shots around
here.” In reflecting on this an impact thought developed in my mind. I
rechecked the context to be sure it was well founded. It came to me in the
form of a question: “Who calls the shots in your life?” Do you call them?
Are you beholden to others? Or is God in charge? For Amos, God
called the shots. Even in the face of fierce opposition he obeyed God.
He was bold in declaring God’s warning. He fearlessly confronted evil and
called for repentance. Sadly, the people of Israel didn’t listen nor
repent. They didn’t follow his lead and suffered the consequences.
Take heed to the message of this book. Be wise and follow Amos’ example.
The Impact thought put positively would be: Let God call the shots in your
life.
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