BIBLE READING FOR FRIDAY 7/11/14
260 LIVE ~ RELOADED ~
Amos 3 - 5
♦Part 1 ♦ Living Without Frustration ❃Joyce Meyer❃
Amos 3
1 Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel and Judah - against the entire family I rescued from
Egypt:
2 “From among all the families on the earth,
I have been intimate with you alone.
That is why I must punish you
for all your sins.”
I have been intimate with you alone.
That is why I must punish you
for all your sins.”
3 Can two people walk together
without agreeing on the direction? 4 Does a lion ever roar in a thicket
without first finding a victim?
Does a young lion growl in its den
without first catching its prey? 5 Does a bird ever get caught in a trap
that has no bait?
Does a trap spring shut
when there’s nothing to catch? 6 When the ram’s horn blows a warning,
shouldn’t the people be alarmed?
Does disaster come to a city
unless the Lord has planned it?
without agreeing on the direction? 4 Does a lion ever roar in a thicket
without first finding a victim?
Does a young lion growl in its den
without first catching its prey? 5 Does a bird ever get caught in a trap
that has no bait?
Does a trap spring shut
when there’s nothing to catch? 6 When the ram’s horn blows a warning,
shouldn’t the people be alarmed?
Does disaster come to a city
unless the Lord has planned it?
7 Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything
until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. 8 The lion has roared -
so who isn’t frightened?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken -
so who can refuse to proclaim his message?
until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. 8 The lion has roared -
so who isn’t frightened?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken -
so who can refuse to proclaim his message?
9 Announce this to the leaders of Philistia 1
and to the great ones of Egypt:
“Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria,
and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel.” 10 “My people have forgotten how to do right,”
says the Lord .
“Their fortresses are filled with wealth
taken by theft and violence.
and to the great ones of Egypt:
“Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria,
and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel.” 10 “My people have forgotten how to do right,”
says the Lord .
“Their fortresses are filled with wealth
taken by theft and violence.
11 Therefore,” says the Sovereign Lord ,
“an enemy is coming!
He will surround them and shatter their defenses.
Then he will plunder all their fortresses.”
“an enemy is coming!
He will surround them and shatter their defenses.
Then he will plunder all their fortresses.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth
will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear.
So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds,
and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches. 2
“A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth
will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear.
So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds,
and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches. 2
13 “Now listen to this, and announce it throughout all Israel, 3 ” says the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. 14 “On the very day I punish Israel for its sins,
I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel.
The horns of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground. 15 And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy -
their winter mansions and their summer houses, too -
all their palaces filled with ivory,”
says the Lord .
Amos 4I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel.
The horns of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground. 15 And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy -
their winter mansions and their summer houses, too -
all their palaces filled with ivory,”
says the Lord .
1 Listen to me, you fat cows 4
living in Samaria,
you women who oppress the poor
and crush the needy,
and who are always calling to your husbands,
“Bring us another drink!” 2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn this by his holiness:
“The time will come when you will be led away
with hooks in your noses.
Every last one of you will be dragged away
like a fish on a hook! 3 You will be led out through the ruins of the wall;
you will be thrown from your fortresses, 5 ”
says the Lord .
living in Samaria,
you women who oppress the poor
and crush the needy,
and who are always calling to your husbands,
“Bring us another drink!” 2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn this by his holiness:
“The time will come when you will be led away
with hooks in your noses.
Every last one of you will be dragged away
like a fish on a hook! 3 You will be led out through the ruins of the wall;
you will be thrown from your fortresses, 5 ”
says the Lord .
4 “Go ahead and offer sacrifices to the idols at Bethel.
Keep on disobeying at Gilgal.
Offer sacrifices each morning,
and bring your tithes every three days. 5 Present your bread made with yeast
as an offering of thanksgiving.
Then give your extra voluntary offerings
so you can brag about it everywhere!
This is the kind of thing you Israelites love to do,”
says the Sovereign Lord .
ISRAEL HAS NOT RETURNED TO THE LORDKeep on disobeying at Gilgal.
Offer sacrifices each morning,
and bring your tithes every three days. 5 Present your bread made with yeast
as an offering of thanksgiving.
Then give your extra voluntary offerings
so you can brag about it everywhere!
This is the kind of thing you Israelites love to do,”
says the Sovereign Lord .
6 “I brought hunger to every city
and famine to every town.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
and famine to every town.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
7 “I kept the rain from falling
when your crops needed it the most.
I sent rain on one town
but withheld it from another.
Rain fell on one field,
while another field withered away. 8 People staggered from town to town looking for water,
but there was never enough.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
when your crops needed it the most.
I sent rain on one town
but withheld it from another.
Rain fell on one field,
while another field withered away. 8 People staggered from town to town looking for water,
but there was never enough.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
9 “I struck your farms and vineyards with blight and mildew.
Locusts devoured all your fig and olive trees.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
Locusts devoured all your fig and olive trees.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
10 “I sent plagues on you
like the plagues I sent on Egypt long ago.
I killed your young men in war
and led all your horses away. 6
The stench of death filled the air!
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
like the plagues I sent on Egypt long ago.
I killed your young men in war
and led all your horses away. 6
The stench of death filled the air!
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
11 “I destroyed some of your cities,
as I destroyed 7 Sodom and Gomorrah.
Those of you who survived
were like charred sticks pulled from a fire.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
as I destroyed 7 Sodom and Gomorrah.
Those of you who survived
were like charred sticks pulled from a fire.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the Lord .
12 “Therefore, I will bring upon you all the disasters I have announced.
Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!”
Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!”
13 For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains,
stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind.
He turns the light of dawn into darkness
and treads on the heights of the earth.
The Lord God of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
Amos 5stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind.
He turns the light of dawn into darkness
and treads on the heights of the earth.
The Lord God of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
SEEK THE LORD AND LIVE
1 Listen, you people of Israel! Listen to this funeral song I am singing:
2 “The virgin Israel has fallen,
never to rise again!
She lies abandoned on the ground,
with no one to help her up.”
never to rise again!
She lies abandoned on the ground,
with no one to help her up.”
3 The Sovereign Lord says:
“When a city sends a thousand men to battle,
only a hundred will return.
When a town sends a hundred,
only ten will come back alive.”
“When a city sends a thousand men to battle,
only a hundred will return.
When a town sends a hundred,
only ten will come back alive.”
4 Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel:
“Come back to me and live! 5 Don’t worship at the pagan altars at Bethel;
don’t go to the shrines at Gilgal or Beersheba.
For the people of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile,
and the people of Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
“Come back to me and live! 5 Don’t worship at the pagan altars at Bethel;
don’t go to the shrines at Gilgal or Beersheba.
For the people of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile,
and the people of Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
6 Come back to the Lord and live!
Otherwise, he will roar through Israel 8 like a fire,
devouring you completely.
Your gods in Bethel
won’t be able to quench the flames. 7 You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed.
You treat the righteous like dirt.
Otherwise, he will roar through Israel 8 like a fire,
devouring you completely.
Your gods in Bethel
won’t be able to quench the flames. 7 You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed.
You treat the righteous like dirt.
8 It is the Lord who created the stars,
the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns darkness into morning
and day into night.
He draws up water from the oceans
and pours it down as rain on the land.
The Lord is his name! 9 With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong,
crushing all their defenses.
the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns darkness into morning
and day into night.
He draws up water from the oceans
and pours it down as rain on the land.
The Lord is his name! 9 With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong,
crushing all their defenses.
10 How you hate honest judges!
How you despise people who tell the truth! 11 You trample the poor,
stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent.
Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses,
you will never live in them.
Though you plant lush vineyards,
you will never drink wine from them. 12 For I know the vast number of your sins
and the depth of your rebellions.
You oppress good people by taking bribes
and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13 So those who are smart keep their mouths shut,
for it is an evil time.
How you despise people who tell the truth! 11 You trample the poor,
stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent.
Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses,
you will never live in them.
Though you plant lush vineyards,
you will never drink wine from them. 12 For I know the vast number of your sins
and the depth of your rebellions.
You oppress good people by taking bribes
and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13 So those who are smart keep their mouths shut,
for it is an evil time.
14 Do what is good and run from evil
so that you may live!
Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper,
just as you have claimed. 15 Hate evil and love what is good;
turn your courts into true halls of justice.
Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies
will have mercy on the remnant of his people. 9
so that you may live!
Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper,
just as you have claimed. 15 Hate evil and love what is good;
turn your courts into true halls of justice.
Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies
will have mercy on the remnant of his people. 9
16 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says:
“There will be crying in all the public squares
and mourning in every street.
Call for the farmers to weep with you,
and summon professional mourners to wail. 17 There will be wailing in every vineyard,
for I will destroy them all,”
says the Lord .
LET JUSTICE ROLL DOWN“There will be crying in all the public squares
and mourning in every street.
Call for the farmers to weep with you,
and summon professional mourners to wail. 17 There will be wailing in every vineyard,
for I will destroy them all,”
says the Lord .
18 What sorrow awaits you who say,
“If only the day of the Lord were here!”
You have no idea what you are wishing for.
That day will bring darkness, not light. 19 In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion -
only to meet a bear.
Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house -
and he’s bitten by a snake. 20 Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless,
without a ray of joy or hope.
“If only the day of the Lord were here!”
You have no idea what you are wishing for.
That day will bring darkness, not light. 19 In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion -
only to meet a bear.
Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house -
and he’s bitten by a snake. 20 Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless,
without a ray of joy or hope.
21 “I hate all your show and pretense -
the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.
I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise!
I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
an endless river of righteous living.
the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.
I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise!
I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
an endless river of righteous living.
25 “Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel? 26 No, you served your pagan gods - Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god - the images you made for yourselves. 27 So I will send you into exile, to a land east of Damascus, 10 ” says the Lord , whose name is the God of Heaven’s Armies.
If you just started reading the Bible and have not yet asked Jesus into your heart to become your Lord and Savior, all you have to do is:
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
B - BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS GOD'S SON AND ACCEPT GOD'S GIFT OF FORGIVENESS FROM SIN
Acts 16:31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household"
C - CONFESS YOUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR AND LORD
9 If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart the God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
If you are ready to ask Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, you can pray a simple prayer like this to God.
Dear God,
I know I have sinned and my sin separates me from You. I am sorry for my sin. I believe Jesus died on the cross for me so my sin can be forgiven. I believe Jesus rose from the dead and is alive. God please forgive me. I ask Jesus to come into my life and be my Savior and Lord. I will obey You and live for You the rest of my life, Thank You in Jesus' name I Pray.
Amen
Amen
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GOD BLESS OUR NATION
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