The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Amos 2:6-8,
"For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines."
As the Lord brings his indictment against the nation of Israel, as well as her neighbors, he makes clear he has his own expectations of how life should be lived. The Lord uses no focus groups, he uses no polls to find prevailing opinions and he isn't checking in with me either. Life is to be lived according to his purposes and desires or there will be consequences to pay. The consequences for Israel, Judah and the surround nations will be severe.
Notions of the sovereignty of God are things that are often left to the dusty environs of bookshelves and the debates of theologians. All good systematic theologies will craft statements that define an understanding of God's sovereign position in all of life. Often, unfortunately, these are left there as an academic exercise, as we go off to live our lives the way we see fit.
What strikes me this morning is that God's sovereignty is not an academic exercise or fuel for an ecclesiastical quibble. It is a reality that needs to be lived out in our lives. When we confess "Jesus is Lord", as in Romans 10:9, it best mean we live that out in our personal lives as well as how we influence all around us.
Woe to the man that subordinates God's sovereign will for his own preferences in life. The nations of Israel's day did and found what the writer of Hebrews had to say as true: "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:31.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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