Taken By God

Scripture – Amos 7:14-17: ¹⁴Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. ¹⁵But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ ¹⁶Now then, hear the word of the LORD. You say, “‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the house of Isaac.’ ¹⁷“Therefore this is what the LORD says: “‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their native land.’”

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) Amos’ response pointed out that he was not a preacher by any means. He was a lay person, working two jobs in his hometown. “But the Lord took me,” he said. The Lord made Amos a prophet for that moment in Israel’s history. And he was not going to be intimidated by Amaziah – a “professional” preacher. He had a word from God to deliver, and he did that. After he did what God called him to do, Amos just sort of fades away. I assume he went back to Tekoa and picked up where he left off. At the same time, his life could never be quite the same again.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) Though I’m a quite ordinary person, God has called me to be a “professional” preacher. And I’m happy to serve as a local church pastor. At the same time, I keep myself open to His continuing direction. In the midst of this general calling, there are moments He has me do some specific work. I will keep myself open to Him. I will keep myself ready to go when God says, “Go!”

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, you are the director of my life. You know that’s my goal. You also know I don’t always reach that goal. Keep me open to your on-going call. Give me courage to respond as you want. Take me wherever you would have me go.

An Invitation – If you’re interested in a face to face discussion about what we’ve been discovering in the Mini-Journal, a small group will be meeting tomorrow morning, 9:45 – 10:30am, at the Southgate Fun and Fitness Center (on Northline near I-75). Look for them around one of the tables in the Café area.