Amos 4:6 - Hardships from the Lord?

“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
     and lack of bread in every town,
     yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.

Several verses in Amos chapter 4 reflect the same sentiment as the verse above. God allows his wayward people to suffer hardships in an effort to get them to return to him.  Have you ever suffered a hardship which brought you closer to God?

Lord, thank you for doing whatever it takes to bring us closer to you. Please help us to see all things in our life as a way to develop a better relationship with you. Amen,

Psalm 81:11-12 - Does God give up on us?

“But my people would not listen to me;
     Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
     to follow their own devices.

God gives us free will. He lets us choose if we are going to follow him or not. In the form of friends, family members and kind strangers, he comes to us, sharing the good news of Christ sacrifice for our sins. As with the Israelites in this Psalm, his pursuit of us will cease and he will allow us to make our choice and do what we want. The door remains open, but we have to walk through it.

Lord, thank you for giving us chance after chance to come to you. Please help us to seek a relationship with you. Amen.

Genesis 28:20-21 - MY God

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God

God promises Jacob so much more than food, clothes, and safety, but here Jacob takes God as his God, not the God of Abraham or Isaac, but "my God." It may be easy for us to acknowledge a God, but we have to do more. We have to accept God as our God, as the master of our lives, as our sovereign Lord.

Lord, thank you for having a personal relationship with each of us, allowing us to call you "my God." Amen.