Time For a Change

Scripture – Amos 4:1-3: ¹Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!” ²The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. ³You will each go straight out through breaks in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the LORD.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) These are pretty pointed words. Amos targets those people living in self-absorbed luxury. Calling women “cows” would have been every bit as offensive then as it would be today. Again, the sin is not that people are wealthy. It’s that they acquire and maintain that wealth at the expense of the poor. The warning is very clear: The time is coming when they will be taken away. Their lifestyle will come to an end. Roles will be totally reversed.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) How do I participate in our current economic/political system that oppresses the poor and keeps people trapped in poverty? How can I act differently so I no longer support that system? How can I change the system? I will keep those questions in front of me. I will answer them. I will listen for Christ’s direction as to how he would have me respond. And I will respond by making at least one change in how I live.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, I have ignored this for too long. I am sorry for that. I have lived a life of privilege, and I have taken that privilege for granted. Open my eyes to see the world around me as you do. Give me wisdom to act in ways that will make a difference in the systems of our culture. Move me beyond shallow concern to a lifestyle change.