[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23

Fri Sep 23 02:46:27 UTC 2022

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the
people who have to wait for them?

___

DAILY DEVOTION

Ten Reasons to Go to Church, Even When You Don't Feel Like It
Day 5

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of
some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching."
(Hebrews 10:25)

Monday, we looked at Reason #1: To Hear the Preaching of the Word.
Tuesday, we looked at Reason #2: To Participate in Corporate Worship
Wednesday, we looked at Reason # 3. Because Iron Sharpens Iron
Yesterday, we looked at Reason #4. To Exercise Your Gift
Today, we are going to look at Reason #5. To Encourage Your Pastor

5. To Encourage Your Pastor

The pastor's heart of the Apostle Paul comes through when he says, "I thank
my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you
all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from
the first day until now. And it is right for me to feel this way about you
all for I hold you in my heart" (see Philippians 1:3-7). Can't you just hear
Paul's affection for these precious people who partnered with him in
spreading the glorious gospel of grace?

In the same way, when you become a partner in ministry with your pastor you
bring joy to his heart, grow his love for you, and cause him to joyfully
thank God for your faithful service to Christ.  

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

Amos 1-3 New King James Version
Judgments on Israel's Neighbors
1 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.

2 And he said:

"The Lord roars from Zion,
And utters His voice from Jerusalem;
The pastures of the shepherds mourn,
And the top of Carmel withers."

Judgment on the Nations
3 Thus says the Lord:

"For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.
4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,
Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.
5 I will also break the gate bar of Damascus,
And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven,
And the one who [a]holds the scepter from [b]Beth Eden.
The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,"
Says the Lord.

6 Thus says the Lord:

"For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they took captive the whole captivity
To deliver them up to Edom.
7 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
Which shall devour its palaces.
8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod,
And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn My hand against Ekron,
And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,"
Says the Lord God.

9 Thus says the Lord:

"For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom,
And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,
Which shall devour its palaces."

11 Thus says the Lord:

"For three transgressions of Edom, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he pursued his brother with the sword,
And cast off all pity;
His anger tore perpetually,
And he kept his wrath forever.
12 But I will send a fire upon Teman,
Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah."

13 Thus says the Lord:

"For three transgressions of the people of Ammon, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead,
That they might enlarge their territory.
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
And it shall devour its palaces,
Amid shouting in the day of battle,
And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
15 Their king shall go into captivity,
He and his princes together,"
Says the Lord.

Judgment on Israel
2 Thus says the Lord:

"For three transgressions of Moab, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 But I will send a fire upon Moab,
And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth;
Moab shall die with tumult,
With shouting and trumpet sound.
3 And I will cut off the judge from its midst,
And slay all its princes with him,"
Says the Lord.

Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the Lord:

"For three transgressions of Judah, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they have despised the law of the Lord,
And have not kept His commandments.
Their lies lead them astray,
Lies which their fathers followed.
5 But I will send a fire upon Judah,
And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem."

Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the Lord:

"For three transgressions of Israel, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they sell the righteous for silver,
And the poor for a pair of sandals.
7 They [c]pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor,
And pervert the way of the humble.
A man and his father go in to the same girl,
To defile My holy name.
8 They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge,
And drink the wine of [d]the condemned in the house of their god.

9 "Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
Whose height was like the height of the cedars,
And he was as strong as the oaks;
Yet I destroyed his fruit above
And his roots beneath.
10 Also it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And led you forty years through the wilderness,
To possess the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets,
And some of your young men as Nazirites.
Is it not so, O you children of Israel?"
Says the Lord.
12 "But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,
And commanded the prophets saying,
'Do not prophesy!'

13 "Behold, I am [e]weighed down by you,
As a cart full of sheaves [f]is weighed down.
14 Therefore [g]flight shall perish from the swift,
The strong shall not strengthen his power,
Nor shall the mighty [h]deliver himself;
15 He shall not stand who handles the bow,
The swift of foot shall not [i]escape,
Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.
16 The most [j]courageous men of might
Shall flee naked in that day,"
Says the Lord.

Authority of the Prophet's Message
3 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel,
against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:

2 "You only have I known of all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."

3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion [k]cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no [l]trap for
it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
6 If a [m]trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?

7 Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
8 A lion has roared!
Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken!
Who can but prophesy?

Punishment of Israel's Sins
9 "Proclaim in the palaces at [n]Ashdod,
And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say:
'Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;
See great tumults in her midst,
And the [o]oppressed within her.
10 For they do not know to do right,'
Says the Lord,
'Who store up violence and [p]robbery in their palaces.' "

11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

"An adversary shall be all around the land;
He shall sap your strength from you,
And your palaces shall be plundered."

12 Thus says the Lord:

"As a shepherd [q]takes from the mouth of a lion
Two legs or a piece of an ear,
So shall the children of Israel be taken out
Who dwell in Samaria-
In the corner of a bed and [r]on the edge of a couch!
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,"
Says the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14 "That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions,
I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel;
And the horns of the altar shall be cut off
And fall to the ground.
15 I will [s]destroy the winter house along with the summer house;
The houses of ivory shall perish,
And the great houses shall have an end,"
Says the Lord.

Footnotes
Amos 1:5 Rules
Amos 1:5 Lit. House of Eden
Amos 2:7 Or trample on
Amos 2:8 Or those punished by fines
Amos 2:13 Or tottering under
Amos 2:13 Or totters
Amos 2:14 Or the place of refuge
Amos 2:14 Lit. save his soul or life
Amos 2:15 Or save
Amos 2:16 Lit. strong of his heart among the mighty
Amos 3:4 Lit. give his voice
Amos 3:5 Or bait or lure
Amos 3:6 ram's horn
Amos 3:9 So with MT; LXX Assyria
Amos 3:9 Or oppression
Amos 3:10 Or devastation
Amos 3:12 Or snatches
Amos 3:12 Heb. uncertain, possibly on the cover
Amos 3:15 Lit. strike