Disciplined but Loved
The nation of Israel – whether known as Judah or Israel – was specially called by God. He chose them to be His own, separate, nation. It is through this group of people that God would bring deliverance for the entire world. It is through this group of people that God intended to show the world what living with God as our Father and Master looked like. Our relationship with God brings peace, mercy, joy, and benefits the rest of the world only hopes for. It does not; however, allow us to wallow in sin unabated. G. Campbell Morgan commented, “The false deduction which is too often made is that if we are the privileged people of God, therefore we may look for His mercy, He will not punish us. That is not so. The measure of our privilege, in the Divine economy, is the measure of our responsibility. Therefore if we fail to fulfill that responsibility He will not pass over our sins, but rather will visit upon us all our iniquities. It is well that those nations who boast of the Divine favor, should lay this lesson to heart.”
Because we have the truth close to our heart, we have a greater responsibility to act like it. Because we have the Author and Finisher of our faith one heartfelt cry away, we have the obligation to turn to Him rather than our own imaginations or desires. Throughout the New Testament, there is one nuance of the early church leaders and apostles that we should all adopt. These mighty men of God routinely referred to themselves as slaves of Christ. They did not see themselves as free men. They viewed their desires as forfeit for the sake of the gospel and the grace which saved them from eternal damnation. As Jesus asked in Matthew 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” What price could we possibly put on salvation? At what cost would we be willing to walk away from it?
As inevitable as all the examples Amos gives in today’s reading is the just judgement of the Lord. We cannot run in rebellion and not expect to feel the sting of discipline. We who are called by the Lord are held to a higher standard. Our lives are an example to the world. What kind of an example are we giving? Do we walk in God’s ways or our own. Do we love? Do we forgive? Do we hold the Lord’s commands as the ruling principles of our life? Like the apostles who came before us, let us refer to ourselves as slaves of Christ. Let us give Him our will, our desires, our plans. Let our desire be Him and His ways only. Then we will see the blessings of God rather than the discipline of His hand.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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