ESOCS Devotional 26 October
TEXT: AMOS 5:18-27 KJV
MEMORY VERSE: “For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Matthew 16:27 KJV
From verses 18-20 of our text today, we deduce that the Day of the Lord in the Old Testament refers to the day God personally and openly intervened in the affairs of the human race, sometimes in judgment and destruction (Gen. 18:20-33; 6:1-8), and sometimes in blessings and deliverance (Ex. 12).
In the New Testament, the Day of the Lord refers to several events of the last days, such as the final battle and the return of Christ. It will be a time of judgment for the enemies of Christ and blessings for God’s people. Whether an individual experiences blessing or judgment is determined by whether or not he worships the true God in spirit and truth, and obeys His will (Matt. 25:31-46).
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
In verses 20-24 of our text, we discover that what angered the prophet even more was the hypocrisy evident in doing all the “right” religious things, whereas the peoples’ heart were far from the Lord. As if Amos was writing for the Christian population of today, he was full of condemnation for those who flourished in hypocrisy of religious festivals and solemn assemblies, but were not born again (John 3:1-10). As it is appointed unto man once to die, followed by judgment (Heb. 9:27), so shall we all appear before the judgment seat of Christ on the Day of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:10). So let us be prepared.
CHALLENGES
- In Matthew 15:8, Jesus quoted Prophet Isaiah concerning those who only honour God with their lips, but their hearts are far away from God. Their worship of God is in vain. They are mere hypocrites. Examine yourself and be sure you are genuine. God’s judgment is nigh.
PRAYER POINT
- Lord Jesus, help me not to be like the hypocrites of Matthew 23, on whom seven woes were pronounced. Amen.
FURTHER READING: 2 Kings 24:10-20; 25:1-17; Philippians 1:15-30; 2:1-13
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ESOCS Devotional 26 October
