Grown Old but Not Grown Up

Daily Reading: Amos 5

 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5.24)

Devotional Thought: Have you ever met someone who is religious but not virtuous?  Someone who’s highly involved in church but whose life doesn’t bear witness to the fruit of the Spirit?  Someone who appears to have grown old in the faith but not grown up … who testifies to the grace of God, but who is cantankerous, whose heart doesn’t appear to have been appropriately transformed?

In this chapter, the prophet is lashing out at such people.  They do a variety of religious things, but they’re empty and hollow.  They know how to talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk.  They prattle on with anticipation about the upcoming “Day of the Lord,” but the prophet said, “When it happens, it’s not going to be enjoyable for you.  You’re not going to savor it the way you think you are.  There’s a rude awakening coming!”

In v. 24, he says “Let justice roll on like a river (and) righteousness like a never-ending stream.”  In other words, the Lord is saying through Amos, “What I use to measure your devotion to me is not your words or ceremonies.  What I look at is how you treat others.  Don’t try to convince me of how devoted you are by the way you talk or your involvement in a variety of rites and observances.  Show me by the way you treat other people—justly … righteously … with honor and respect.”

Religious ordinances and observances are not bad things.  But they’re incomplete and insufficient in and of themselves.  God gauges our love for him primarily by the way we treat other people.  See John 13.34-35.

John Whitsett

Prayer: Heavenly Father, at times I’m prone to gauge my devotion to you by my various religious activities and observances.  Help me to remember that, in your mind, it’s primarily about how I treat others.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 101.1-8

1 I will sing of your love and justice; to you, LORD, I will sing praise. 2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart. 3 I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. 4 The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil. 5 Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate. 6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me. 7 No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. 8 Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.