I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
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 drew God's ire. 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 that faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:26). In short, faith is both believing in the Lord and doing the things He has told us to do.
Take some time to think about your own life: how much time do you prioritize on your own spirituality versus serving others?
What ways can you begin to take steps toward serving in your church, your neighborhood, or your school in order to help those in need. All of these are ways that our faith becomes complete in Christ as we follow after Him.
What’s Inside?
Throughout God’s Word, we see a lot of attention paid to the human heart. In fact, in Scripture, the heart was thought to be the center of physical and spiritual life.
In our current culture, the heart is often a metaphor for our emotions. But in the Bible, the heart represents the soul and mind—it’s a way of displaying wisdom and character. The heart in the Bible is a lot like how we think about the brain today, or a combination of the head and the heart.
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Luke 6:45 NIV
When Jesus speaks of the heart being a source of good or bad, He means that the things that we think about have a way of showing up in our lives. Our thoughts influence our outward actions.
Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.
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