October 20, 2008
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How Close is Your Relationship with God?
"For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
Seek Me and live;
But do not seek Bethel,
Nor enter Gilgal,
Nor pass over to Beersheba;
For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity,
And Bethel shall come to nothing.
Seek the LORD and live,
Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
And devour it,
With no one to quench it in Bethel—
You who turn justice to wormwood,
And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”
He made the Pleiades and Orion;
He turns the shadow of death into morning
And makes the day dark as night;
He calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth;
The LORD is His name.
He rains ruin upon the strong,
So that fury comes upon the fortress.
They hate the one who rebukes in the gate,
And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.
Therefore, because you tread down the poor
And take grain taxes from him,
Though you have built houses of hewn stone,
Yet you shall not dwell in them;
You have planted pleasant vineyards,
But you shall not drink wine from them.
For I know your manifold transgressions
And your mighty sins:
Afflicting the just and taking bribes;
Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.
Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time,
For it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil,
That you may live;
So the LORD God of hosts will be with you,
As you have spoken.
Hate evil, love good;
Establish justice in the gate.
It may be that the LORD God of hosts
Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:4-15 (NKJV)I hope that all of our relationships are close with God. I hope that all of us who read this have a relationship with God. I know that not all who read this have a personal relationship with God. I pray that for those who don't will be directed by the Holy Spirit to search the Scriptures and find the truth about Jesus Christ. For those who do have a personal relationship with God, seek Him with all your heart, mind, and strength. Don't back down, keep striving for Him! If we constantly, consistently seek Him, then as we grow closer and closer to Him He will give us strength and grace to make it through the day. How do we seek Him? Read His word, communicate to Him in prayer, and serve Him by using the gifts that God has given you. Seek Him and Live!
