This fall we are working through the Old Testament prophet Amos, and the book begins with a lion’s roar from God. Later Amos will ask, “The lion has roared – who will not fear?” This week we will introduce the prophet Amos by looking at God’s relationship with humanity in general, and specifically God’s covenant relationship with his people, his children. Within the covenant relationship, God makes promises, and God’s children must respond. How do you respond When the Lion Roars?
The accounts of the kings of Israel and Judah in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings can be frustrating to read: It’s a years-long tug of war between good and evil. Most of the kings of the two nations were bad, but there are a few sprinkled throughout whom the writers call good. In opposition to their culture, and even contrary to the way they were raised, these good kings followed the Lord, or at least tried. And that’s what God always wants - a heart that is turned to Him. This Sunday, we will take a look at the last four major kings of Judah: Hezekiah, Mannaseh, Amon, and Josiah. We will tie into the Psalms for the signs of a heart devoted to God. Despite everything that’s going on around us that would get us off track, let us be those who say, “As for me…”
Getting right with God is the beginning of the Christian life. But as supremely important that is, it is only the beginning. As we grow up in our faith – as we surely must if our faith is genuine – we face many trials and challenges, as well as many joys. Discipline is God’s way of pruning us to produce the fruit of our faith. When the Holy Spirit works in our lives to prune us, He generates the fruit of the Spirit. And love is the first in the list of that fruit (Gal 5:22). God is calling each and every one of us to love – to love God and to love our neighbor. How can we participate in growing that fruit? Jesus tells us how in parable – to remember just how much we have been forgiven: those who are forgiven much, love much; but those who have been forgiven little, loves little.
In Luke 15 Jesus tells a parable in three parts to show how much God and all heaven rejoice when the lost are found. Jesus begins with a lost sheep, then tells of a lost coin, and finishes with a story of a father’s extravagant love for his two sons. As we hear the final story, let’s consider with which son we most identify. In the end, though, the most important figure is the loving father. May we embrace our heavenly Father’s gracious gift of prodigal love.
The greatest command in the Bible – the command that encompasses all other commands – is love. This month as we look at Jesus’ parables that only Luke records, we come to the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. As familiar as the story is to us, the lesson is shockingly new every time we read it: the love God expects from us knows no borders. May we hear the story again with fresh ears for renewed obedience so we may “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)