Page 23 - 6-19-15 Friday's Edition

Local
Blessed To Be A Blessing
dollars for a good steak. People eat and dine with soft music or bands playing in the background. They are en- joying a night out on the town. They no longer have to drink water or order a glass of water but ask for enough lemons to make lemonade at the table. People are able to partake of a before dinner cocktail, a wine during the meal, and an after dinner drink. God said they are drinking by the bucketful. Again, God does not have issue with His people enjoy- ing the blessings and bounty of being His children. God gives you power to gain
wealth (Deut. 8:18).
Verse 6b raises the issue
God has with people who are enjoying luxurious living. ... caring nothing at all that your brothers need your help (vs. 6b). God accuses them of en- joying the luxury and blessing but care nothing about their fellow man who needs help. The church will come under great indictment because it is living lavishly because of the blessings of God but seem to be blind of the needs of the
community in which it sits. Don’t just talk about how many sheet sets you have when there are people around you without a bed to sleep on. What good is it for you to have clothes with tags on them in your closet that are three sizes too small when there are people who can
benefit from them?
You enjoy a meal that
costs a small fortune and then let the leftovers go to waste because you are too blessed to eat leftovers! Don’t you see that your brothers and sisters are in need of help? Seeing the poor and the homeless don’t bother you? God has blessed the church to be a blessing to others!
Verse 7 - Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end. Because of the blindness of their broth- ers, God says that they will be the first to go into exile and this will cause an end to their lavish living. When there is a recession the greatest one af- fected are the rich. When the stock market crashes the ones who lose the most are the
ones who are invested in it. When the real estate market loses value the ones with homes are the people to take a hit. When interest rates rise the church trying to get fi- nancing pays the price. God knows how to get the atten- tion of those who enjoy His blessings and bounty but are blind to those who are in need.
God declares in verse 14 that He will stir up a nation against Israel that will op- press them. God can stir up the areas of your life that will cause you to stop and reflect on how you are living. God has a way of making you re- member from whence you have come. The people you passed on the way out of debt you may see them again.
God does not mind you being blessed; He wants you to consider those who are in need as you enjoy your bless- ings. God wants the church to have a mind of outreach ministry. The church must not get comfortable on the in- side of the church and forget about those who are on the outside.
Amos 6:4-8, 11-14 tells of God’s judgment against the behavior of the wealthy. God brings accusations about the choices they are making as they live a life of luxury. God has issue with the way people live today with all the bless- ings He has blessed them with. Make no mistake about it, God does not have a prob- lem with you being wealthy and having luxurious items. That was not God’s concern then and it is not His issue today. The text reveals what God has a problem with and it tells of His solution.
Verses 4-6a -You lie on ivory beds surrounded with luxury, eating the meat of the most tender of lambs and the choicest calves. 5 You sing idle songs to the sound of the
harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians as King David was.6 You drink wine by the bucketful and perfume yourselves with sweet oint- ments...
The people were enjoying the “good life”. They were sleeping on the finest of beds and eating the best meat. The people are enjoying a season of prosperity and blessings. There are many people today who boast about how much their mattress cost and how comfortable it is. People are excited about the thread count of their sheets and the ability to sleep on down feathers. Some people have come a long way from Spam sandwiches. People today enjoy prime rib sandwiches and are able to pay eighty-five
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-B