Monday I finished reading The Prophet, by Francine Rivers, a Biblical novel about the life of Amos. What struck me the most in this ficitonal account was how he prophesied against Israel's neighbors first, then Judah, then Israel. They didn't see that they were as guilty as the other nations until he spelled it out for them. In the story, he also saw his own sin as he spoke judgment against others.
This week in Bible study we discussed 1 Corinthians 5 and 6, and discipline in the church. The opening line in the lesson said that purity in the church depended also on lives of individual believers. I'm reminded of Jesus' command in Matthew 7:1-5 to first look at the plank in our eyes before we judge the speck in our brothers'.
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6 comments:
Hey Ms. Otter...
Well, I linked just fine to the site. Had to recall my google account from nhquest.blogspot - but made it in!
I'm glad to have participated in the 1 Corinthians discussion Tuesday. These are challenging scriptures, especially in light of certain events in our church Body. Yes, it definitely causes a person to be introspective.
Good luck with your project. I'll try to stay hooked up. I can't imagine writing a book about blogging!
It is always harder to see and accept our own faults (sins). Yet that is the very thing that God requires of us. Fortunately, He doesn't leave it there...He wants us to continue on from that point to repentance, then to acceptance of His forgiveness, and then to the freedom that Christ purchased for us by going to the cross. If we choose to get hung up anywhere on that path, we lose our way and delay the very blessing that Christ paid so dearly for.
I think a little introspection is good now and then -- monks perhaps participated too much in it, and modern day protestants perhaps not enough! There's a balance between prayer (heart) and studying Scripture (head)--some churches focus on one, and some on the other. I think we need to place equal weight on each.
I find great comfort in the thought that God doesn't leave us there! It seems every prophet has a message of restoration at the end of the gloom and doom.
blogs can be a great thing, like the saying, "blogs are the rough draft of the internet" well, not quite,
In regard to Amos, i think that it is amazing that in every prophet's message, there is hope
Scamper,
What I thought was interesting about the Amos book (have you read it yet?) is that in the story he also thought about other Scriptures, like Psalms. That is, the prophets were not living and preaching in isolation, but as part of a larger Israelite community, people of God, with a history with God.
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