Author: Brian Burdett

“But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” – Amos 7:15

The message of Amos was deeply unpopular. He’d drawn the anger of the king of Israel for delivering God’s word of coming judgment for their sins. When told to be quiet and go home, his answer was simple. Amos explained that he wasn’t a professional prophet. This wasn’t what he expected to be doing with his life. Instead, he was a business man who’d been given a message and a command by God. God told Amos to go and he went. God told Amos what to say and he said it. He could do nothing else and still be faithful to His God. Despite the unpopularity of the message and the opposition that would arise, Amos simply had to go and speak. Would you? Would you go? Would you speak?

Regardless of your career field or employer, God has given you a message and a command as well. After His resurrection, Jesus proclaimed that He’d been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Flowing out of His absolute authority was a command for all His followers to go and tell people about Him. Win people to the faith and teach them how to follow and obey Jesus. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

The command you’ve been given by King Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean you need to leave your career behind. But it does mean that you need to be talking about Jesus as you go about your daily life. It means that you need to be prayerful in understanding what God is asking and expecting about how you do your job. It means that your top priority in your career shouldn’t be success or promotions but instead should be proclaiming Jesus faithfully. The message will be unpopular, especially in our present-day society. Embrace God the way Amos did and let His commission become your mission so that, like Amos, you simply feel you must go and speak freely. #FollowJesus

“Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
– Amos 5:15

Israel had a serious problem…. They thought they were doing OK spiritually when they weren’t. They thought that since they held regular worship services, celebrated the major holidays, and made all the ritual sacrifices that they were doing fine in God’s eyes. They weren’t! They may have been putting on a good show of obeying God, but their heart wasn’t in it. They weren’t actually submitted to God, His commands, and His heart for other people. God, being God, knew the truth of their spiritual rot.

Though they made a great show of religiosity, they were cruel and uncaring toward others. They cheated, mistreated, and exploited the poor. They appeared religious but really worshipped idols of money and status as they pursued beautiful houses and extravagant displays of wealth. God condemned them for this. God’s heart is for all people, but particularly for the poor and vulnerable. He expects His people to share that heart and act on it. As He prophesied destruction for Israel, He held out yet another chance to turn from their false obedience and embrace true obedience to Him.

God’s people must hate evil, not flirt with it, praise it, participate in it, excuse it, or celebrate it. God’s people must love good. Not the mere idea of good, but actually doing good toward others out of love and obedience to the God Who saves us. God’s people must care about and work for justice and promote systems and structures that bless all people, particularly those who are most vulnerable. These aren’t optional for God’s people. They aren’t what save anyone but they are what those who are truly saved care about.

This hasn’t changed since the time of Amos. The same critique can sometimes be made about God’s people today. We can easily take on the appearance of great religiosity without embracing the heart of Jesus for the poor and vulnerable among us. We can be focused on the appearance of following Jesus while rebelling against Him in the privacy of our homes, in the priorities of our hearts, and in the policies we advocate. We chase idols of wealth, status, and comfort while praising the name of Jesus in worship. Let us be careful today, in our time, that we really do hate evil, love good, and establish justice in our communities. #FollowJesus

“And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” – Isaiah 6:5

When the prophet Isaiah saw a vision of God the Father on His throne, he responded the way we all should. He became deeply aware of his own sins and shortcomings. He knew he had no business being in the presence of a God so perfectly holy, holy, holy. He took no satisfaction in being a generally good person living among God’s people. Instead, Isaiah saw God’s perfect holiness and it overwhelmed him as he fully understood the wrath and doom he deserved for his rebellious words spoken against His creator’s will.

That really is how God truly is. Almighty. Holy. Supreme. Overwhelmingly pure. He is the almighty creator of the universe. He rules from heaven in absolute power and stunning, overwhelming, absolute sinless perfection. He is supreme over all things and utterly without hint of sin or shadow of darkness. If we could see Him as He is, we would all be like Isaiah with a deep sense of our own sinfulness. We would never again ask for what we deserve because we would know that we deserve God’s judgment. Think about how God truly is. Try to picture His overwhelming holiness and presence, surrounded by angels praising Him. Let yourself be in awe of Him.

Then realize that what God did for Isaiah, He’s done for you. The prophet was completely overwhelmed by the sinful words that had flowed out of his mouth throughout his life. In his vision, an angel touched his lips with a burning coal to atone for his sin and purify his tongue. In His great mercy, God has made that atonement and purification available to everyone through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the burning coal made flesh! He entered our world, lived a sinless life, died an atoning death on a cross, and rose from the dead so that all our sin would be utterly destroyed when we put our faith in Lord Jesus. Faith in Jesus transforms you from a person of unclean lips to a holy vessel prepared to serve a holy God.

However, Jesus is far more than just the burning coal. He is the person and presence of God come to the earth and made flesh so that we can embrace and enjoy God’s presence among us. The eternal Son of God took on a human body and nature so that we could gaze upon God without being doomed for our sin. God has lived, walked, taught, and worked among us so that we can love and fellowship with Him without disaster. Marvel at what God did to make Himself approachable by unclean people like us and rejoice that you’re invited into God’s throne room without fear. #FollowJesus

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16

If Jesus is your Lord, then this is true for you! Think about it… YOU are God’s temple! You! God’s Spirit lives IN YOU!!!

You are now the most holy place. You are now the place where God dwells on earth. Take that seriously! You matter. Your faithfulness matters. Your holiness matters. Your growth in Christ matters. You have purpose. You are a walking, talking temple of the Most High God of the Universe!

As God’s temple, enjoy His presence in you. Spend time with God and enjoy that time. Recognize His presence in you and delight in it. As God’s temple, seek to be a holy temple worthy of His presence. Have nothing to do with sinful, wasteful thoughts, words, or deeds. Strive to be holy because you are the temple of God.

Meditate on this for awhile…. #FollowJesus

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” – 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

What an encouragement this should be to all of us! Paul was used powerfully by God and changed the world through simple, plain words that just talked about Jesus and His crucifixion and resurrection. To fully appreciate this truth, it helps to know a thing or two about ancient Corinth… Corinth was a city that loved refined, polished speakers. They loved debaters and performers and would pay good money to hear them talk. They loved flourishing speeches and flawless logic. In Corinth, Paul rejected all of that and just talked about Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death, and His glorious resurrection. People recognized real truth when they heard it and gave their lives to Jesus and were radically changed.

Many Christians today are afraid to tell others about Jesus. Afraid that they won’t explain well enough. Afraid they’ll “mess it up”. Afraid they’ll forget something important. Afraid they’ll be made fun of for having faith. Afraid they’ll offend others. Afraid they’ll get a question they can’t answer. Don’t be!

Simply telling people about Jesus, His death, and His resurrection sets the Holy Spirit free to work in their hearts. Don’t worry about persuading someone into heaven. Don’t worry about answering every argument. Just tell them the truth and let God do the rest. Let go of your fear and just speak the happy truth you know in your heart. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death, and rose from the dead to save you from your sins. Trust in Jesus, repent of your sins, and live forever. Keep things simple and truthful. #FollowJesus