Passage
Amos 5:1-13 (ESV)
God Accepts Those Who Fear Him
Acts 10:17-35
Key Verse: 10:34
God's Remedy: Seek the Lord and Live
Date: Aug. 20, 2014
Daily Bread
Key Verse: 5:6a
First, God offers his people a remedy (1-6). Amos sang a lament as though judgment had already taken place. On the Day of Judgment, they could not hide from God. Carnage would be everywhere. Only one tenth of the military would survive, but the destruction of the 90% meant nothing to them; they remained unrepentant. The fact that God laments shows that God cares. God wanted to draw them to himself. He provided a remedy. In love, God implored them to seek him and live. Hope is found in seeking God. In times of difficulty and struggles, we must seek God.
Second, God upholds holy things (7-13). The courts became lined with greed and injustice. The rich milked the poor to build mansions, while good people kept silent. The judges oppressed those who spoke up for justice like Amos. God does not appreciate it when the pure and holy things of God - like seeking justice, caring for the poor, and upholding the righteous - are trampled on. May we uphold the things that God holds dear.
Prayer: Lord, we are always seeking solutions to our problems. We wonder why things are the way they are. We want to accept your remedy, that is, to seek you and live.
One Word: Seek God's remedy
