–John Deacon  (The Provider-1)

       “When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it.”

                    –Ezekiel 33:18 (NKJV)
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                    “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.”
                              –Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV)

     You may have noticed that I did not write a devotional for September 11.  No, I did not forget the day, nor the rage.  But…it seems as if the nation has.  It is just another day in the history books, so quickly forgotten.  A day where God gave us a chance to repent, to come together, and it looked like it might happen for a day or two.  However, since then we are more divided than ever.  The Lord presented the opportunity…I am afraid the nation did not take advantage.  We had a man of faith as President but he was shunned and ridiculed.
     David Wilkerson preached a sermon, “The Towers Have Fallen But We Missed the Message.”  Look at the condition of our nation, was the message indeed missed?   Wilkerson said in this sermon, “We all should pray that our nation repents and turns back to the Lord.  But our most intense prayers should be for our own hearts:  ‘Lord, let me tremble not at the disasters, but at your Word.'”
     We should not stop seeking God for our nation, but has He drawn the line?  I don’t know.  However, I read the words in Isaiah and tremble at our nation.  Yes, the words were directed toward Israel, but could they not be also directed at us?  “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; and you have been weary of Me, O Israel.” (Isaiah 43:22, NKJV)  
     In this day of turmoil, chaos, and confusion we need to turn to the Lord.  In this time where our country has become weary of God, we need, as individuals to turn to the Lord.  In saying this I want to point you to an old hymn that was put in my email in response to one of my devotions.  Written by Ray Palmer, in the early 1800s, I would ask for you to ponder the words, then take inventory of your soul in these troublesome times.

          My faith looks up to Thee,
          Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!
          Now hear while I pray,
          Take all my guilt away,
          O let me from this day Be wholly Thine!

          May Thy rich grace impart
          Strength to my fainting heart, My zeal inspire;
          As Thou hast died for me,
          O may my love to Thee
          Pure, warm, and changeless be A living fire!

          While life’s dark maze I tread,
          And griefs around me spread, Be Thou my guide;
          Bid darkness turn to day,
          Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
          Nor let me ever stray From Thee aside.

          When ends life’s transient dream,
          When death’s cold, sullen stream Shall o’er me roll,
          Blest Savior, then, in love,
          Fear and distrust remove;
          O bear me safe above, A ransomed soul!

Especially ponder the second and third verses.  Stay true to the Word, guard the truth, walk the path that He has laid out before you!

                    –Lou Bradshaw  (Blue Valley)

       “He who obeys instructions guards his soul, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.”

                    –Proverbs 19:16 (NIV 1978)
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     I try to have an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude.  In the midst of all that life throws my way, I try to remember Paul’s admonition that, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NKJV).  It was G.K. Chesterton who said the the most important lesson he had learned was, “When it comes to life the critical thing is, whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
     There is a truth that is very evident, if you work with people much you will soon find out that “Unthankful people are almost always unhappy people” (Gary Inrig).  Thankfulness then, is a “prime indicator of our relationship with God” (Inrig).  Are we grateful?  How do we express it?
     There is a story, that from the beginning does not seem to be about thankfulness, but Jesus will bring that in as we delve into the story.  It is a story that we should stop and contemplate and is found in Luke 7:36-50.  It is vital, not only for our spiritual well-being, but for our mental and emotional well-being as well.  Look at those individuals who are not thankful and you will see that their heart will begin to harden.  It is inevitable.
     I want to draw your attention first of all to the setting of the parable.  “Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.  When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.” (Luke 7:36-37, NIV 1978)
     We see Jesus being invited to the house of a Pharisee, who we will find out his name is Simon.  That is in itself interesting.  Realize that not all Pharisees were contemptuous of Jesus, but we must ask if there was some ulterior motive.  Simon could have been an admirer and sympathetic, but Barcly perceives that, “the whole atmosphere of discourtesy makes that unlikely.”  Perhaps Jesus was invited with the intention of tricking him.  Another reason might be that Simon was trying to patronize Jesus, use His status for his own gain.
     Notice, after the invitation, that we see Jesus reclining at the table.  This is an important feature of the story so don’t read over it.  William Barclay explains the situation, “When a guest entered such a house three things were always done.  The host placed his hand on the guest’s shoulder and gave him the kiss of peace.  That was a mark of respect which was never omitted in the case of a distinguished Rabbi.  The roads were only dust tracks, and shoes were merely soles held in place by straps across the foot.  So always cool water was poured over the guest’s feet to cleanse and comfort them.  Either a pinch of sweet-smelling incense was burned or a drop of attar of roses was placed on the guest’s head.  These things good manners demanded, and in this case not one of them was done.”
     Then we see, at the house of this upstanding Pharisee, a woman standing there.  Not just any woman.  The NIV says she “had lived a sinful life.”  Barclay identifies her as “a woman in the town, a bad woman.”  He goes on to say that she was “a notoriously bad woman.”  The theologian, J.B. Phillips describes her as “a woman, known in the town as a bad character.”
     This was the type of woman who normally would never set foot in the house of a Pharisee such as Simon.  “She was notorious throughout the town for her immoral way of life” (Inrig).  Why was she there?  Two reasons:  first, the woman “took advantage of the social customs that permitted needy people to visit such a banquet to receive some of the leftovers” (Walter L. Liefeld).  However, most importantly, she came specifically to see Jesus and we read that she brought a jar of perfume–she had prepared herself.
     Jesus came, the guest who was courteous enough to accept the invitation from the Pharisee.  Who, as Gary Inrig points out, “That the fact He was a friend of sinners did not mean that He was unwilling to be a friend of the respectable and self-righteous.  They also needed the gospel…”  Simon was there, after all it was his home, but we cannot be sure of his motives.  And we see that there was the “sinful woman” in attendance.  Ponder this scene and the individuals involved.

                         –1 Chronicles 22:13 (NLT)
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               “The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa…  The LORD roars from Zion…”
                              –Amos 1:1-2 (NASB)

     Last week I wrote one day about knowing and doing God’s will.  It is simply obedience.  My Pastor and I briefly discussed the topic on Sunday after church and he said that God’s will comes in installments.  I like that.  For sure there are some requirements to knowing God’s will.  The first is obedience to what we already know; in other words, obedience to the Word of God.  Second is preparation.  We must prepare ourselves to the best of our ability.  I used to teach a unit on “Reading as Worship.”  We must read widely in many areas, and specifically in areas of our career and in Biblical studies, and most of all read the Bible.  We should take our education seriously, for knowledge is a prerequisite for obedience.  Finally, we must be ready to act.  Readiness is then putting all of it together–the need is there, the call is there, the willingness is there.
     With that I want to draw your attention to Amos.  For the last three weeks I have felt the urging to study Amos.  Years ago, in seminary I took a course in the Minor Prophets and since that time I have had the opportunity to teach on the subject a few times.  So, off and on, for the next few weeks I want to look at this prophet and his message.  We must keep in mind when studying any of the Prophets three major things:  1) the historical contemporalnuity, what does it mean in the context of the time period; 2) the covenant background; 3) the eschatological arguments which includes meanings for our day.
     Amos was not your “normal” prophet (whatever that was).  He filled this office for only two years, as far as we know.  In fact, he denies any professional status of a prophet.  Most scholars today believe that although probably once a shepherd, he was now the owner or manager of a sheep business.  The word used for shepherd in (1:1) is not the common word for shepherd, but for one who owned flocks of sheep.  He was also involved in the growing and harvesting of figs, and many believe he was also a cattleman:  “Then Amos replied to Amaziah, ‘I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.” (7:14)
     Here we see a busy man, a man loaded with responsibility, yet he heard the voice of God and obeyed.  He must have been “a God-sensitive person.” (Lloyd Ogilvie).  Most likely one who had an intimate, personal relationship with God.  Perhaps during one of his prayer times God spoke to him, or maybe it was in the midst of a busy day that God interrupted his schedule.  In either scenario, Amos heard, listened, and obeyed.
     In reading Amos, his character is clearly seen.  He was first of all a plain man of God, not pretentious at all.  We see in his life and message that he was blunt, direct, courageous, and dynamic; he had a keen resentment against social wrongs.  In describing Amos, we can easily see he was deeply religious with a sharp insight into the deeper things of God.  Luxury, extravagance, and immorality were red flags in his face.  Kyle Yates expressed this about Amos, “He knew God, was certain of his call, felt the hand of God constantly upon him, and had no fear of any living person.”
     Amos came from Tekoa, situated in southern Judah, which was both a village and a territory.  It was a rugged land that dropped to the Dead Sea.  One writer said it was a “waste and howling wilderness.”  Ogilvie describes it as a “bleak area, a wasteland and wilderness.”  It ranged widely in elevation from 2700 feet to a thousand feet below sea level.  George Adam Smith writes, “The desert is always in the face of the prophets, and its howling of beasts and dry sand blow mournfully across their pages the forboding of doom.”
     It was from this land the prophet–the man–Amos emerged into prominence with his prophecy, and just as suddenly went back to the hidden realm of everyday living.  He was “A man of obedience to the divine call and resolute courage in the face of opposition.” (Peter C. Craigie)  A man who acted upon the voice of God in obedience, ready to do His bidding.

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Hanging Woman Creek)

 

       “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”
                    –Revelation 21:10(NKJV)
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Psalm 122, another psalm of ascent, is at the beginning.  Many ask why since it speaks of Jerusalem, the destination of the pilgrims.  George Wood states, “Why then is this psalm here, near the beginning of the psalms of ascent rather than the end?  Because if you are going to reach the top, you must keep alive the faith of actually getting there.”  Remember Christian in The Pilgrim’s Progress who was going onward, upward, always looking for the Celestial City.  This morning we will look at the first five verses.

          1 — I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
          2 — Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
          3 — Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together.
          4 — Where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
          5 — For thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.   (NKJV)

     George Wood titles this psalm the “Dream Psalm,” because even though the psalmist knows the trail is steep and difficult at the finish the the holy city of Jerusalem.  Eventually he will reach his goal, but until that time he will encourage himself by “refreshing himself in the present toil by drawing from the well of future gladness.” (Wood)  He will make sure that he watches his step, that they are firmly established before taking the next one.  
     We live in a day when church attendance is dwindling.  Excuses are made, some say it has not recovered from COVID, but I would answer that any excuse to stay away from the house of the Lord is a flimsy excuse.  Yes, I know there are times of unusual circumstances that cannot be avoided, but on the whole, the Christian can make it to church.
     “I was glad!” the psalmist says.  But Sunday morning is my only time to sleep in.  “Let us go into…” I get bored, the preacher is always harping about something.  Excuses, so many excuses.  I had a rough night last night, I had a rough week and need to rest and recuperate.  There’s a ball game I want to watch.  Oh, I hear the fish are biting.  And on, and on, and on we can go with the excuses.

               “I’m pressing on the upward way,
               New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
               Still praying as I’m onward bound,
               ‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.'”
                         –Johnson Oatman, Jr.

     The NLT translates the second part of verse 4, “They come to give thanks to the name of the LORD as the law requires.”  The people were required to make this pilgrimage to Jerusalem to sacrifice at the Temple.  However, now the veil has been rent, we take the “temple” with us as we climb.  We are not looking for a place to throw our tent as Abraham did looking for the land that God promised him, or the cross over Jordan to the promised land that was promised to Moses and the children of Israel as they left Egypt.  No, my friend, we are looking for that wonderful city.  We are traveling the gloryland trail, and we’ll make it–no matter the hardship, no matter the hostile imps of the devil we may meet along the way, no matter the battles, no matter the pestilences that may come–heaven is waiting.  Take time to read of the New Jerusalem found in Revelation 21:10-22:5.
     So onward and upward.  The mind and attitude is set.  The “blessed hope” is before us and the heavenly city awaits.  The Lord is coming, are you able to sing, or to say, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD'”?

               “Come, we that love the Lord
               And let your joys be known,
               Join in a song with sweet accord,
               And thus surround the throne.”
                       –Isaac Watts