Our Everlasting God
In Isaiah 40:28, we see that God is eternal. He is everlasting. God is the same today as He was a thousand years ago and will be a thousand years from today. This is an incredibly comforting truth that God will always be the same loving and dependable God He’s always been.
We never have to worry that God will act differently than what we learn about Him in Scripture. The same God who created the heavens and the earth is the same God who loves and cares for you today.
Because God is eternal, He knows the beginning and the end. Therefore, we can trust Him in the midst of our journey, that He knows what He is doing, and that all things will work out for His good.
Take a moment to consider how great God is. Thank Him for being faithful, just, and merciful. Thank Him for being our Savior, Creator, and King. Worship Him in awe for being eternal and all-knowing.
Reordering Our Priorities
The northern tribes of Israel in Amos' time seemed like they were doing all the right things. They offered sacrifices to God and were exact in their religious observations. And yet, the book of Amos is written to them as a warning—a warning that destruction that would befall them if they refused to change?
Why?
Because they had neglected the true heart of loving and worshiping God.
While they were doing many of the "right" things, it's what they weren't doing that God wanted to address. They failed to take care of the poor and needy. They turned their eyes away from injustice. Many had turned to idols for help and prayer.
Through Amos, God told the people of Israel that it is just as important to be righteous inwardly as it is outwardly. We cannot say we love God and others when we fail to help people who are within our power to help.
Just as James 1:27 tells us, true religion includes helping orphans, widows, and those who are in distress. James goes on to write ...