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SERVING THE LORD WITH UNWAVERING CONVICTION - THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)

THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)

DATE: TUESDAY, 18TH JANUARY, 2022 

TOPIC: SERVING THE LORD WITH UNWAVERING CONVICTION 

TEXT: AMOS 7

1. Thus the Lord GOD showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop; indeed [it was] the late crop after the king's mowings.
2. And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: "O Lord GOD, forgive, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he [is] small!"
3. [So] the LORD relented concerning this. "It shall not be," said the LORD.
4. Thus the Lord GOD showed me: Behold, the Lord GOD called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory.
5.  Then I said: "O Lord GOD, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he [is] small!"
6.  [So] the LORD relented concerning this. "This also shall not be," said the Lord GOD.
7.  Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall [made] with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand.
8.  And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said: "Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.
9.  The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam."
10.  Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.
11.  "For thus Amos has said: 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, And Israel shall surely be led away captive From their own land.' "
12.  Then Amaziah said to Amos: "Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, And there prophesy.
13.  But never again prophesy at Bethel, For it [is] the king's sanctuary, And it [is] the royal residence."
14.  Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: "I [was] no prophet, Nor [was] I a son of a prophet, But I [was] a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit.
15.  Then the LORD took me as I followed the flock, And the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'
16.  Now therefore, hear the word of the LORD: You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, And do not spout against1 the house of Isaac.'
17.  "Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Your wife shall be a harlot in the city; Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword; Your land shall be divided by [survey] line; You shall die in a defiled land; And Israel shall surely be led away captive From his own land.' "

MESSAGE:
The Israelites were still stubborn even after the Lord withdrew the judgments of the locust and the fire as a result of Amos's prayers (vs.1- 6). They manifested different forms of political and religious activities that failed God's standards (v.9). In the face of all this wickedness, Amos spoke for God an attitude that is rare even today considering the normalisation of evil in our societies! The evident ill-effects of globalisation and secularism in the present world yearn for someone who will speak for God. However, if and when we dare speak, just as it was with Amos, opposition will certainly come. Notice that Amos was opposed by the priest of Bethel (v.10). This is not very surprising, since Amaziah was a priest of Bethel and not the priest of God in Bethel. 

A priest is supposed to speak for God; and never to stand against Him. This shift in one's sense of responsibility in serving God as a priest is dangerous. It makes one a possessor instead of a steward. We are all called to be priests of God (Rev. 1:6; 5:10) and not priests to churches, cathedral and constituencies. It is important therefore to review our stance in God's service else we may be the ones opposing His voice. Notice the strong attitude and conviction of Amos in verses 14 and 15. He understood the call of God in his life and thus he was not intimidated by even a priest. In conclusion, it is crucial that we learn from the example of Amos here pray for the people, speak for God. 

PRAYER: 
Dear heavenly Father, please, help me to hear Your word, obey Your word and speak Your word in season and out of season. Amen.

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