Focus
As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.
Read
Complacent Self-Indulgence Will Be Punished
6 Alas for those who are at ease in Zion,
and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
the notables of the first of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel resorts!
2 Cross over to Calneh, and see;
from there go to Hamath the great;
then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is your territory greater than their territory,
3 O you that put far away the evil day,
and bring near a reign of violence?
4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory,
and lounge on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock,
and calves from the stall;
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,
and like David improvise on instruments of music;
6 who drink wine from bowls,
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile,
and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.
8 The Lord God has sworn by himself
(says the Lord, the God of hosts):
I abhor the pride of Jacob
and hate his strongholds;
and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.
Reflect
When I read Amos 6:1-8, there is one word that came to my mind to describe this situation. That one word was “Egoist.” You see an egoist is someone that makes all their moral decisions based on one determining factor, their self-interest. In other words, they will make their moral decisions based on what is right for them. Now, there is a twist with being an egoist. The twist is the fact that whatever moral decision serves their self-interest, that moral decision becomes the “Right” thing to do for them. They see that moral decision as right. The basic issue with a moral egoist is that they fail to consider the interest of others with equal value, they very much put themselves first when it comes to deciding what is right or wrong. So, if not worry about the poor, the widow, the orphan, or justice is in my self-interest, then that is the thing I will do. Not only that, but I will believe that I am doing the right thing. The issue becomes that this is very much not the way God wants those that claim to follow him to view the world and others. Self-interest should never be the sole factor when deciding what is the right or wrong thing to do. I am reminded of the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.”
Pray
Please help us God to have your vision of the world. Help us to seek your will and your way. Help us to not just see ourselves and our own interest but help us to see the interest of others. Help us to see the world the way you see it. Help us to see others the way that you see them. Thy will be done in our lives, our ministries, and our witness. Amen.
