Through the prophet Amos, the Lord declared: "“The days are coming...when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord" (Amos 8:10).
One might think that the people were disregarding His Word and therefore He was withdrawing it because of their failure to read of attend to it. But that doesn't seem to be the case as they were very plainly giving consideration for the New Moon and Sabbath Day before they began their business practices (see vss 1-9).
What they were not doing, however, was listening for God's will within those words. They were all about upholding rules and regulations but had no regard for the intent God had for blessing his people, instead, they intended to abuse them by overcharging for smaller portions as soon as the rules allowed them to open the markets.
The words of the scrolls would remain but the communion of the Spirit would be withdrawn. God would not waste his Spirit on hearts that were hardened by materialism and selfish pursuits. There would be no prophetic word no intimate fellowship. There would only be the dry reading of words on a page and the distant following of rules with no connection to the Spirit.
It seems that this same famine exists in far too many churches today and in the hearts of so many individuals. We have all kinds of rules to follow, rituals to observe, monies to raise, etc. But are we hearing the heart of the Lord to visit the sick, feed the hungry and love the downtrodden? How does your faith inform you? Is it just words on a page or a burden in your heart? Are you content with "doing church" or are you intent on "being the church?" Are you reading words or listening for His Word? Jus' Askn.
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