Word at Work February 16, 2017

Word at Work February 15, 2017
February 15, 2017
Word at Work February 17, 2017
February 17, 2017

Word at Work February 16, 2017

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Scripture: Amos 3:1-8

Amos made it clear that judgment was coming on the family of God because of their rebellion against Him. There is something interesting that often gets lost today in verse 6, “If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?” There was a time when people equated adversity with the judgment of God and consequently they would open their ears to hear what God had to say. But that is no longer the case. That understanding seems completely absent in most of the world today. I remember when two American leaders said the 9/11 bombing of the twin towers was because of sin in the land. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robinson said it and there was tremendous, unbelievable criticism against them. But they were stating a principle that the Bible consistently enumerates – calamity in a nation comes from God. When a nation is covenanted with God like Israel as well as America and the people’s actions go against that covenant, correction comes often in the form of calamity. If the correction is received and understood, people repent. If it is not understood, people go back to their destructive ways. America largely refused to recognize God’s corrective Hand of judgment. The responsibility for this greatly falls on the ministers of the Gospel who have compromised the Word of the Lord in order to keep a congregation. Falwell and Robinson spoke a hard word and suffered for it. But ministry is not a popularity contest and whether we are behind a pulpit or not we cannot fail to speak the Word of the Lord when we are called. Regardless of how much the word will upset a person or group, if God says to speak, we have to speak. Hebrews 11 is very important in these end-times. Only those who fully embrace and walk in faith and learn to trust the Lord will be able to speak what God has to say. For many, it will be hard to hear and there will be painful repercussions for the men and women who step bravely forward to speak the truth in the last days. God, give us ears to hear, in Jesus’ name!