Jul 18 – Amos 6, Amos 7 Romans 4:16-25, Romans 5:1-11 Psalm 86:11-17
Amos 6:4-6
“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall,
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
This is very similar to what we read yesterday. I don’t want to go over the same ground, so let me instead reword and paraphrase this section to update it:
“Woe to those who lie on memory foam mattresses and stretch themselves out on recliners, and have the very best M&S roast for Sunday dinner, who listens to the latest worship albums, even writing new songs set to the tunes of chart toping records, draining the finest prossecco and bathe in the best from lush… but don’t care that the nation is lost, separated from God and going to a lost eternity.”
You get the point. None of those things are bad in themselves… but let’s get our priorities straight.
Rom 4:17-18
as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”-in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
God calls those things that do not exist – into existence. The promise God gave Abraham was impossible. Even though his body was as good as dead, paul says, Abraham believed the promise of God.
He had no evidence that the promise was ever going to happen – other than faith. He believed God.
His body was almost dead, Sarahs womb was dead – but he didn’t et go of the promise because he trusted God was greater than the circumstance.
Sometimes we have nothing other than the promise. There’s no hope of it happening, but we must hope against hope.
When God promises we must remain fully persuaded that God will stand by His promise. He makes a way where there seems to be no way.
What are you believing God for? Stand firm. Keep the hope alive. If God has said it, then you must never lose hope.
