Am I willing?

Willing – cheerfully consenting or ready.  As I continue to read Amos, the Lord reminded me that Amos was not a “prophet”.  Amos was a shepherd that the Lord called up to prophesy.  However, Amos was willing to allow the Lord to use him to speak to Israel as a prophet.  The revelation to me through this was not that the Lord can give us the gifts that we need for a specific purpose or time.  But my revelation was that we focus too much on what we are going to do with our lives.  In most aspects of our lives is seems right to have 5, 10, 20 year plans.  The question I have is why would I do that when I am not even guaranteed tomorrow?  I am not necessarily against preparing and making plans, but I wonder if we have just put too much emphasis on doing that.  I have seen the Lord completely redirect people’s paths.  They went to college to do what they felt they were supposed to do and now they are in a completely different “career” path.  I know that what they started out doing was not wrong, it was what they were to do for that time.

We need to be willing to allow the Lord to change our paths, our minds, and our hearts.  We need to be open to something different that the Lord would have us do.  We should continue to keep the Lord as our main focus so that we can listen to His voice and follow where He leads.  I know for me, right now, I am supposed to be focused on being a wife and a mom.  I honestly cannot think of anything else I want to do, because this is what the Lord has called me to now.  I am not worried about what I will be doing in five years; I am concerned with what I need to be doing now.  The Lord could speak to me in the next five minutes and give me a different direction to go in.  So, I need to be willing to do whatever that may be.  The Lord has made me a prophet, but that doesn’t mean He won’t use me to be a pastor, teacher, apostle, or evangelist for a time.  I want my eyes to be open and my heart to be willing to what the Lord  will have for me today, tomorrow and in 20 years.

He Won't Relent

As I was reading Amos 4-5 today, the Lord brought back to mind something I was thinking about a while ago. 

Basically the Lord was speaking to Israel (his chosen) recounting all the things He had put them through to get them to return to Him, this wasn’t just a few not fun things to go through, it was plagues,  draught, famine, destruction etc.  The Lord was doing anything and everything He could to get those who belong to Him to return to Him.  They had lost their way; they had forgotten who they really were and all about serving the Lord. 

It seems that in our lives today, we have an arrogant attitude.  Honestly I know I have thought this.  The “thought” being that because I am under grace and not the law, I can get away with anything, because we have grace now and we are covered.  We think that the Lord would never put us through anything like He did to the Israelites.  However, I really think that is a definite wrong way of thinking and of living.  I believe that there is a punishment, or chastening or whatever you would like to call it that makes you feel better.  I have seen what the Lord has put me through in my own life and even heard and seen what He has done in others lives.  I know that He will do whatever it takes to get us back.  Initially, I think that is so awesome that the Lord will woo me back to Him.  Which is awesome that He doesn’t give up, however, sometimes I would not call His means of getting us back wooing.  And as I think about things that I may have seen people around me go through and have seen some of what I have gone through, I know that the Lord does not just try to woo us back.  I’ve seen Him take everything away, and I mean everything just to get someone to return to Him. 

We need to begin to live our lives in a healthy fear of the Lord.  We need to realize that just because we are saved and have our way into heaven, doesn’t mean that we can do what we want.  We have to remember who the Lord is.  He makes the sun come up each day, and set each night.  He spoke the whole earth into creation, He knew us before we were in our mother’s womb.  And He will do WHATEVER it takes to get us back, He won’t relent!