God Cares For You
One of the amazing things about the God we see in Scripture is that He cares for the outcast, the weak, and the hopeless. He is a God of second chances. He loves to do His greatest work through the most unlikely people.
God could work through the most powerful and wealthy people. But, one of the ways God shows His true power is when He strengthens the weak and gives power to the powerless.
When God sent His Son to earth, Jesus came in the form of a helpless baby. When Jesus chose His twelve disciples, He chose the most unlikely group of followers.
God doesn’t choose the powerful; He empowers those He chooses. This is great news for us! We may not be the best at what we do or the most influential person–but God can still use us!
You may not feel like you have the right traits or talents to be used by God–and that’s okay. God can use anyone and everyone. God makes it a habit of taking our greatest weakness and greatest pains to use for His kingdom work.
Take a moment right now to ask God for strength. If you’re feeling weak, ask Him to increase your power. While He may not fix your weakness immediately, when you’re open to God using you, He will turn unlikely situations into powerful moments for His kingdom.
Ask Him to open your heart and mind to how He can use your weaknesses to make a difference in the world around you.
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 ...