There’s a quiet battle going on in my house. As my middle son inches toward standing at six feet, he really longs to “beat” my oldest, who stands at 6’2”. The lines we’ve traced on the white doorway trim in between our kitchen and family room announce the progress in this battle.
I appreciate the objectivity of that door frame. We dutifully measure and, without comment, allow the marks on the trim to speak their truth—their pronouncement is clear.
In today’s passage, I’m reminded of the stalwart metric of that penciled-in door frame. But first, a confession: I don’t know about you, but I can catch myself categorizing God’s attributes. Without realizing it, I might see the God of love as positive and good while the God of justice feels negative and maybe scary.These verses show a collision of His love and justice, nestled in neighboring lines on the page. As God showed Amos his judgment for Israel’s wicked ways—first a vision of destruction by locusts and then of devastation by fire—Amos begged for forgiveness for God’s people. God relented. Twice. Even as His people rebelled, His faithful love showed.
He chose instead a measure of judgment, different but not unlike our white-trimmed kitchen door frame. He places a plumb line as a clear metric of Israel’s growth toward or away from God. The hitch is that the plumb line stays while God departs (Amos 7:8). The NKJV translates the same verse, “He will no longer pass by.” What’s worse? Enduring calamity and destruction as a consequence, or hearing God will turn His back completely?
But God already knew what would happen next: Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, ignored Amos’s offered words. This supposed man of God opposes God and chooses his king. It’s heartbreaking. But it’s in Amos’s response to the priest’s threats where we find encouragement.
So Amos answered Amaziah, “I was not a prophet or the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman, and I took care of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
—Amos 7:14–15
Amos’s life was sheep and figs, yet he was willing to stop following the flocks to follow the Lord. Even as Israel turned, Amos stood tall against God’s plumb line, delivering His Word. No more than twenty years later, the attacks in this region began, with total ruin complete within forty years.
God’s plans always stand. His Word always remains.
You know, Amos wasn’t the first man God sent from the fields to share His Word, nor would he be the last. Soon He would send the Word to us all, another Shepherd. Our Savior, our plumb line, our friend.
May we hear when He speaks. May we go when He asks.
@Sharon – congratulations!! That is amazing! Also, I hear you. There has to be a boldness of the spirit which requires constant abiding and obedience to produce. May the Lord grow you and your husband’s boldness.
@Heidi- so glad the Lord is using this lake time to reset your body and rest in Him. May He bring you to full restoration and give you strength to do the next big thing. I think of Elijah when he needed to rest and eat before his 40 day journey. God is doing a new thing and the enemy is mad- but you have overcome by the blood of the lamb and the Word of your testimony!! Believe that and walk in it, friend! Prayers for you and your family :)
@Rhonda J- thank you for sharing your heart about your marriage. It is good to bring things into the light in this way. May He give wisdom on how to love your husband and may His spirit produce the change in both of you that is necessary. God heal them and help them, in Jesus’s name.
Thank you for your continued prayers :) I so appreciate it.
SHARON, JERSEY GIRL
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! CONFETTI FLYING!!!! That is so amazing I hope you can take time to celebrate your achievement!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. – 2 Timothy 4:4-5
@ Heidi I just saw your post – praying that God will “move the mountains” and you get your passports in plenty of time! May His will be done!
Also I have a praise — I learned on Saturday that I am now officially a certified DONA postpartum doula, after 2 years of preparing! Thank you, Thank you Lord!
Amaziah the priest chose his king over his God. How sad. But how often do we do the very same thing? Amos preached the word without letting anything hinder him from proclaiming the message the LORD had spoken. He was bold and brave and let nothing stop him – oh to be more like Amos! He obediently spoke the truth with no worry of the consequences he might suffer.
This past Sunday my husband and I were discussing the topic of why it seems so hard to witness to the lost. If we love Jesus so much, why aren’t we telling everyone?! He mentioned a book he was reading that addressed this very thing. The answer seems to be because we are afraid of the pain. The pain of ridicule, mocking, losing friendships that we’ve taken so long to build, having our family turn against us. No one likes pain and if we can avoid it, we usually choose to do so. My prayer is that I can get past the fear, openly and boldly proclaim the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Lord, please – help me to be bold to share your word, my faith, the testimony of You present in my life, and praise Your name & Your works in the presence of the lost around me. I can only do it with Your help, in Your strength. Empower me with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name.
@Sarah D – congratulations on your new position!
@Michelle Patire – praying for your family and for you living in the midst of it all.
@Katie L – continuing to pray for you court proceedings, may God rule in your favor!
@Theresa – praying for your husbands upcoming trip, and that his passport comes in time!
@Rhonda J – praying for you as you experience your husbands outbursts – may God give you patience and endurance when they are happening, and for him. It sounds like there is something troubling him deep within. Has he ever considered counseling to try and get to the root cause of it, and would you feel comfortable bringing the subject up to him?
He clearly defines His standards AND He measures the exact amount of grace and mercy – remeasured each morning – that He already knows we each will need EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. He empowers us in our humanity and is merciful when we fail.
We’ve moved out of the VRBO and have been spending the last few days at our annual lake-weekend releasing the season before and embracing the season to come. We have done it with our family for a decade now and while so much in our lives have been constant unknown and unexpected – a redefining of “normal” almost on a daily basis – walking into the familiarity and routine of our lake-time provided an automatic “reset” that neither Ryan or myself had expected. I kept finding myself in little spells of crying as I realized my brain and body were slowly releasing the stress and tension that had been building for the previous couple of months. I was suddenly made so acutely aware of how many times that word “normal” had been defined, redefined, again, again, side-stepping from what we were familiar with to such a degree I didn’t even recognize it anymore. And to be so quickly thrown back into “normal” was the biggest eye-opener for both Ryan and I. And hear me- I’m so grateful that God equipped us to do it because in the place we have been, there was a NEED to redefine and step out of comfort and embrace unknown and different. It was a gracious gift He gave us to be able to do it. Just- being back in “typical normal” was such a great comfort and sense of peace. I have a hard time even really explaining it! ;)
We are now at my parent’s home (yay they have room for us!) on the last days of trying to prep for this European journey that we still feel God is leading us towards – the chance for us and our 3 little people to experience Him in a whole new context and see His movement and presence in a new way from their churches and serving opportunities, to the local communities and ways of life. AND- Ryan and I both feel like there has been significant spiritual attack the closer we get to it. And I do not use that term lightly to define difficulty or hardship. Even our passport issues- ya’ll we still don’t have them. The only date we can get to meet in person is the day we are supposed to fly out. We call and call and try to get appointments where others have cancelled and day after day the only day offered? Our travel day. If God really wants this to happen and invite us on this journey, He is going to have to do SOMETHING and I don’t know what. We are trying our best to just do the things we can and trust Him with what He’s planning. What else can you do really??? ;)
Keep ya’ll posted… Pray each of you experience something new and fresh with Him today.
Christ is my one and only.
Thank You Lord God for sending Your Son to die for my sins. Amen
Be blessed and be a shepherdess to all those around you sisters!!!!
May I keep God’s plumb line in mind as I go throughout my day. Seeking what He desires not my desires.