God would never send a famine or economic distress to get our attention.
God would never send disease to open our eyes to our bad choices and to call us to repentance.
God would never use wars or violence to cause us to cry out to Him.
God would never use a tornado, earthquake, or tsunami to draw our hearts back to Him.
God is not like that. He is a soft, squishy, feeble, always-lovey-dovey, ever-forgiving God who just wants us to be happy and who would never dream of punishing us or disciplining us or causing us any kind of discomfort or pain. He’s all about giving us whatever we want and pouring out blessings and goodness on us and allowing us to live life on our own terms, because we are the center of the universe, right? We are the lords of our own lives. Aren’t we?
Surely, in this day and age of rampant sexual diseases, violent wars, economic recession, famines, natural disasters, devastating consequences of our choices, etc., none of this has been allowed by God in order to open our eyes to our need for Him.
God would never do that!
Or would He?
Amos 4:6-12
“I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. . . People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your figs and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“I sent plagues among you . . . killed your young men with the sword . . . overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah . . . yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“Therefore this is what I will do to you, ... and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God ....”
How many of His calls to “return to Him” have you ignored?
Are you prepared to meet your God?
“Do not be afraid of those
who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in
hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
“It is a dreadful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews
10:31)
I do believe time is running out.
"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near." (Isaiah 55:6)
"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve ... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
And if you choose otherwise, then let this be a warning:
"But you have abandoned me [God] and have worshipped other gods. Therefore, I will not deliver you again. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them deliver you when you are oppressed." (Judges 10:13-14. Kinda blows apart our idea of God as soft, squishy, easily-manipulated, and focused on making us happy, doesn't it!)
(A post, slightly updated, that I first wrote in 2014, on my other blog. If interested, also see "Starting Your Own Relationship With Jesus.")
