The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Amos 1:1
Amos was a sheep-breeder. He was neither a prophet nor the owner of a flock of sheep; he was just a shepherd. He was not a seasoned prophet like Elijah, a priest like Jeremiah, or a man of the court like Isaiah. Amos was just an ordinary, working man. Not only that, Amos had a second job tending the sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14). The sycamore is the poorest of fruits in Israel and only the very poor people eat it. Therefore, it is clear that Amos did not come from a very wealthy family. In fact, he had to work two jobs just to make a living. But the Word of the Lord came to this man and God raised him up to be a prophet against two military leaders. God can do the same for each one of us. We may be insignificant in the eyes of other people or even in our own eyes, but it is the heart that God is interested in. God can raise up someone who is considered a “nobody” in the eyes of people and make a great prophet out of him.
The Word of the Lord often comes when you are doing your duties. Amos was just faithfully doing what he should have been doing when the Word of the Lord came. Moses got his burning bush experience and his life’s mission when he was shepherding his flock in the desert. Gideon received his command to lead the Israelites to war when he was threshing the wheat. Elisha met his master Elijah when he was plowing the field. In the New Testament, we see Peter, James, John and Andrew receiving the call to follow Jesus when they were mending their fishing nets.
God is looking for faithful men to whom He can entrust His Word. Jesus said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10). We may think that what we are doing is insignificant, but God is watching. “Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin” (Zech. 4:10, TLB). Deuteronomy 8:18 says that, it is God who gives you the power to get wealth. You need to take the power, abilities and talents that God has given to you to apply yourself and do your job well. So often, believers disqualify themselves from their destiny by not working hard. “Lazy men are soon poor; hard workers get rich” (Prov. 10:4, TLB).
You’ll never be used by God to do anything great unless you work hard at what you’re supposed to be doing. Let us make a decision today to be faithful and work hard at whatever is entrusted into our hands.
Amos was a sheep-breeder. He was neither a prophet nor the owner of a flock of sheep; he was just a shepherd. He was not a seasoned prophet like Elijah, a priest like Jeremiah, or a man of the court like Isaiah. Amos was just an ordinary, working man. Not only that, Amos had a second job tending the sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14). The sycamore is the poorest of fruits in Israel and only the very poor people eat it. Therefore, it is clear that Amos did not come from a very wealthy family. In fact, he had to work two jobs just to make a living. But the Word of the Lord came to this man and God raised him up to be a prophet against two military leaders. God can do the same for each one of us. We may be insignificant in the eyes of other people or even in our own eyes, but it is the heart that God is interested in. God can raise up someone who is considered a “nobody” in the eyes of people and make a great prophet out of him.
The Word of the Lord often comes when you are doing your duties. Amos was just faithfully doing what he should have been doing when the Word of the Lord came. Moses got his burning bush experience and his life’s mission when he was shepherding his flock in the desert. Gideon received his command to lead the Israelites to war when he was threshing the wheat. Elisha met his master Elijah when he was plowing the field. In the New Testament, we see Peter, James, John and Andrew receiving the call to follow Jesus when they were mending their fishing nets.
God is looking for faithful men to whom He can entrust His Word. Jesus said, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10). We may think that what we are doing is insignificant, but God is watching. “Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin” (Zech. 4:10, TLB). Deuteronomy 8:18 says that, it is God who gives you the power to get wealth. You need to take the power, abilities and talents that God has given to you to apply yourself and do your job well. So often, believers disqualify themselves from their destiny by not working hard. “Lazy men are soon poor; hard workers get rich” (Prov. 10:4, TLB).
You’ll never be used by God to do anything great unless you work hard at what you’re supposed to be doing. Let us make a decision today to be faithful and work hard at whatever is entrusted into our hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment