Day 66 of 90 Devotion

Dearest e-votees-

Day sixty-six of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. We have finished Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah and Nahum (34 down, 32 to go). If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:

www.christthegoodshep.org/biblein90days.html

Peace,
Karl

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Day 66 Readings: Amos 9:11-Nahum 3:19

So hard to give the so-called minor prophets their due when we are tearing through the Bible at the pace we are.

Here are two passages to consider, the first from yesterday's readings:

I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard to for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll like a never-failing stream. Amos 5:21-24, NIV

The second is from today's readings:

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8, NIV

We get so hung up, at times, at what can we do for God. We want to know what is required. We want to know what is the "admission price" for heaven. We want to know how much we have to do to be safe.

God has done what is required. God has made us right. God has saved us. God gave up God's own firstborn for our transgression. We insult God when we try to offer more to "up the ante"--we are in right standing with God. All we can really do is "Love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, strengths and minds."

If in response to God's good and gracious salvation we want to live and amended life it should be one concerned about neighbor. That is what it means to let justice flow. That is what it means to act justly and to lover mercy. If we want to express to God and to the world our appreciation for all God has done for us we can let it seep out of our lives in the form of "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Everything in the Law and the Prophets (including the "minor" ones) points to those two ways to live.


God, thank you, thank you, thank you. Help us live in ways that show our neighbors our gratitude to you. Amen.