Amos 5 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Amos 5:21-23

“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.”

This is how God viewed the Israelites’ worship, and I wonder if He feels the same about ours. It would be easy to make this post about the Church and how far we believe she has fallen, but instead I think we must look at this a bit more intimately and individually. For the Body of Christ is made up of individuals, not denominations. The Israelites had turned from the Living God to dead idols; they were relishing and basking in their sin. They refused to truly turn back to God and instead thought they could placate God through these tainted offerings and empty worship songs. Have we become like them?

I’m asking this question to us as people, not to the Body as a whole. Has our worship of God become rigid and legalistic, a place to go on Sunday mornings just to check a box? Have we fallen out of love with God? Have we perverted the call on our lives and moved into a shell of what we are called to be? God knows our hearts, and this should be both a comfort and an alarm. For my heart belongs to God, but there are still things that creep in that shouldn’t be there. Forgive me, O LORD!

The Israelites’ biggest flaw was their refusal to repent and return to God. He says time and time again in His Word things like, “Come back to Me, stop running from Me, and I will accept you.” If we want our worship to be a pleasing aroma and not a foul stench, then our hearts and lives must be fully devoted to Him in every way and in increasing measure. We will fall short at times, but will we stay in our sin, or humbly repent and find mercy in Him?

Proverbs 28:13- Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

God bless! I love you all, but His love is faithful and calls for us to be faithful in return. Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!