Amos Chapter 4

Scripture Reading:  Read Amos Chapter 4. 

A Dirty Gift:

Amos 4:4-5 - “Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”  declares the Lord GOD.” (ESV) 

I’ll never forget one Christmas season we were able to spend with my nieces.  All the kids in the house made the environment a little crazy, but lots of fun too.  One of my young nieces set out on a mission to find presents for each of us.  She wrapped them up and had the biggest smile on her face as she gave us these gifts.  The only problem with the gifts was that she didn’t get them from the store; she had scrounged up random things in the house and gave these random items to everyone as gifts.  Though I didn’t use the half-tube of used ChapStick she’d given me, it was incredibly genuine and very sweet of her. 

Our worship, like the Israelites' sacrifices, can sometimes lack the sweetness of my niece's gift.  The present she gave me wasn’t something I could use, but it was filled with the purity of her heart, and I cherished it. In contrast, the prophet Amos speaks sarcastically, urging Israel to continue their practice of hypocritical worship.  Their worship was exuberant on the outside, but their hearts were filled with wickedness and pride.    

It's worth pondering what God truly values in our worship services today. We often place great emphasis on the style of music, but what truly matters in worship is the condition of our hearts for God. 

Prayer:  I pray that our worship of God would flow from the right heart.  Help us, Lord, cleanse us and purify our hearts so that our worship is good and pleasing to you.