We are coming up on the end of our church year, and the pastors are preaching on “The beginning of the end.” We will hear prophesy and parables about end times. Amos gives a scathing report against a rebellious people in Chapter 5: “What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion—only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house—and he’s bitten by a snake.” Now that’s a bad day. The story sounds like an exaggeration, but it represents a true nightmare.
The Lord is repulsed by their hypocrisy and pretense, their evil and selfish living. He longs for their repentance and faithfulness. “Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” This idea of justice and living holy lives may also sound like an exaggeration when we look at the world around us, but it represents a truth we can aim for.
Couldn’t we also add to the mighty flood of justice and river of righteous living? When God sees Christians, He sees us clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. We are loved, friends, and we can be who God wants us to be. Let’s each think of two things we can do in thanksgiving to God this month. How can we stop running from the world’s lion and give glory to the Lion of Judah? What thing will we do to add to the mighty flood of justice? What thing will we do to add our own personal drop to the endless river of righteous living? I encourage you to really ponder God’s Word and your response. If some of us have been thinking, “If only the day of the Lord were here…” then we better be ready for it. Everyone ready for a dip in the river of righteous living? ~Tracy