Amos 9:11 - Restoration

“In that day
“I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
     I will repair its broken walls
     and restore its ruins—
     and will rebuild it as it used to be,

In this passage God has just stated how he will destroy the Israelites because of their sin, then he tells them how he will restore them. As we deal with the wreckage of our lives (family problems, work problems, depression, addiction, natural disasters, loss of a job, health issues, etc...), we to are promised restoration. We may see some restoration in the world, but more importantly, we will receive complete restoration when we are with God.

Lord, thank you for the gift of restoration. Please help us to not loose hope, but to look to you to be made complete again. Amen.

Amos 8:11 - Word famine

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
     “when I will send a famine through the land-
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
     but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Right now we hear the word of the Lord and we choose to believe and obey or not. We have the luxury of choice. Imagine a time when there is no choice to be made because we have no opportunity to hear...a famine of hearing.

Lord, thank you for allowing us to hear the words of the Lord. Please help all those who hear to believe and obey. Amen.

Amos 7:7-8 - A plumb line

This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

 “A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

When I was a little girl growing up in Nebraska, my Uncle David preached at a little church about two hours from the town we lived in. He preached there for years and years, then his son preached there for years and years. Occasionally my mother and I would accompany my aunt and uncle on their Sunday preaching trip. I remember one Sunday when Uncle David preached on this passage. He showed us a plum line (a cord with a weight to get a straight up/down line) and talked about how as Christians, Jesus is our plumb line. He is the measure we seek to live up to.

Lord, thank you for illustrations in your word. Please help us to continually strive to live up to the guide you have set for us. Amen.

Amos 6:4-7 - Living in America?

You lie on beds adorned with ivory
     and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
     and fattened calves.
You strum away on your harps like David
     and improvise on musical instruments.
You drink wine by the bowlful
     and use the finest lotions,
     but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
     your feasting and lounging will end.

This passage describing Israel just really reminded me of us, living in America, living an easy, luxurious life.

Lord, thank you for your gifts which make our lives easier. Please help us to not be complacent in these gifts. Amen.

Amos 5:8 - Pleiades and Orion

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
     who turns midnight into dawn
     and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
     and pours them out over the face of the land—
     the Lord is his name.

Did you know the Bible mentions constellations? I did not until now. They are also mentioned two times in Job, one verse also mentions the Bear.

Lord, Your Word holds new things for me every day. Please help me to continue to be amazed. Amen.

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,

Amos 2:6b - Treatment of the poor

They sell the innocent for silver,
     and the needy for a pair of sandals.

Among the list of atrocities attributed to the Israelites is their treatment of the poor. I believe God gives us the weak (or allows us to be the weak) so that the strong will realize everyone is made stronger when the stronger support the weak.

Lord, thank you for giving us the poor. Please help us to treat the poor with respect and assistance. Amen.

Amos 2:4-5 - Pointing out sin

This is what the Lord says:
  “For three sins of Judah,
     even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord
     and have not kept his decrees,
because they have been led astray by false gods,
     the gods their ancestors followed,
I will send fire on Judah
     that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.”

Amos is a prophet in the Old Testament time. In this book, to this point, in similar passages the Lord has told of the atrocious acts of  heathen nations and how he will destroy them. Then God's own people are condemned because of their sin. Some times we point out the sins of others while failing to realize our own sins. We are all equal at the foot of the cross.

Lord, thank you for helping us to realize when we have sinned. Please help us to focus on sinning less and bringing you glory rather than focussing on the sins of others. Amen.

Source: http://biblehub.com/commentaries/amos/2-4.htm

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 - Parting words

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

Paul writes these words as a part of the closing of the first letter to the Corinthians. Paul has given the Corinthian church some tough teachings in this letter. He has spoken very specifically to issues and problems they were experiencing, but as a brother, he wrapps things up with encouragement and love.

Lord, thank you for direct teaching in your word. Please help us to follow these parting words: "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love". Amen.

I Corinthians 15:58 - Resurrection

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Chapter 15 talks about resurrection. As a Christian, we have no fear of death. We may not fully understand what will happen after death, but we do know we will be with God. The sting of death is sin, with Christ as my salvation, there is no sting of death. In fact, death is something to look forward to because we can not be with God for eternity while in human form. So, as the verse above states, while we are here on earth, we must do the work of the Lord, knowing this is the only work that matters into eternity.

Lord, thank you for the hope of resurrection. Please help us to be useful to the kingdom while here on earth. Amen.

1 Corinthians 14:12 - The purpose of gifts of the Spirit

So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

This was an interesting passage and one I don't remember reading before. Speaking in another language (tongues) was a gift of the Holy Spirit in the time of the New Testament. Apparently many people had (or claimed to have) this gift, demonstrated by speaking in a "language" no one understood. Today, I believe some have (or claim to have) this gift as well. This passage points out that the point of the gift is for one to speak to people who speak a different language than they do, for example speaking Spanish to Spanish speakers when I don't speak Spanish. If we want to excel in a special talent, work on something that will be useful to the church.

Lord, thank you for special talents and gifts. Please help us to use our gifts to grow and build up the church, not for our personal gratification. Amen.

1 Corinthians 13:3 - Love

If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Before I begin, I need to make a confession. I have not done my morning study for 15 days. That may be the longest stretch of non-study I have gone since I began. I've had a hard time waking up in the mornings. I am praying for God to help me restore/create better sleep patterns so I will get back to my "First Fruits of the Day"study.

The passage above is part of the "Love Chapter". It is so familiar and a great place to go to for a refresher on what love is and is not. It clearly emphasises that love is the most important thing, This world and all of the good (and bad) in it will pass away and all that will remain is love. We can do lots of good deeds and suffer for our cause, but if love is not at the root of our actions, nothing is gained.

Lord, thank you for teaching us to love. Please help us to keep love at the root of all we do. Amen,