There is no way of getting around it, but, one day we will all answer to God. This is one of the messages found in the book of Amos. God is supremely in control of all nations; thus we are all accountable to God. Amos was brutally honest with the people of Israel and Judah. But, they were so obsessed with the present moments of their life.
Why not? Business was flourishing, the rich got richer. They had the best in comfort and luxury. Thus, they relied on their own merit and self sufficiency. It was actually a false sense of security. All of this wealth and prosperity became their corruption and eventual destruction.
They were too self-absorbed to truly see themselves for what they really were. When we become complacent in our present situation of blessings and benefits, we must remember these blessings are from God. If we become more satisfied with ourselves than with God we run the risk of a self-sufficient attitude that can be our actual downfall. We can’t live our life as God planned it without Him!
Amos warned against this. Many of the people without fully realizing it had let go of their faith and trust in God. It was like pretending to be religious and pious and going through the rituals, but not believing them or living them. Their religious practices became superficial, unreal, and faithless. They abandoned their spiritual integrity.
It can happen to you and me. And, it is happening within the confines of the church. “I hate all your show and pretense–the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” Amos 5:21-24
God despises worship and will not accept it, if it is offered in pretense and haste. He simply wants a sincere and real relationship with us. He wants worship from the heart and not just what we give in church but worship that emanates in the way we really live.
We need to live our worship in times of prosperity and in times of need. We need to live our worship in times of happiness and in times of sadness. We need to live our worship in times of battle and in times of peace. We need to live our worship always so others can see the Lord lives in us.
It’s so simple; let your yay be yay, your nay be nay and seek the good, shun the evil so you may live and worship the Lord as He deserves!
ritasalomon 