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The days are coming when I will send a famine on the land – not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. Amos 8:11 I’ve been eating right lately, not gorging myself before bed, which means waking up hungry. It was in such a state, that…
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Go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel . . . Amos 7:12-13 I must admit that sometimes, I get irritated in ways that are just ridiculous. When I’m in a hurry and get stopped by a train, I imagine the engineer is…
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I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Amos 5:21 I’ve often been a hypocrite, but nowhere have I been guiltier than in church on Sunday morning, where I have sung of my love for and obedience to God, while using drugs. I wanted my words to be true,…
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Seek good, and not evil, that you may live . . . Amos 5:14 At the end of my junior year of high school, I told myself I was going to lift weights every day that summer in preparation for my senior year of football. I was going to get bigger, stronger, and faster. When football…
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Prepare to meet your God, O Israel! Amos 4:12 It’s not uncommon in medicine to meet those who insist they have a high pain tolerance. This usually indicates the opposite – it’s most often a ploy (of those who don’t tolerate pain) to convince others of the severity of their symptoms. Addicts are an odd…
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Go to Bethel and sin . . . Bring your sacrifices every morning . . . Amos 4:4 (NIV) Long ago, I attended Northwestern College (MN), which sat just across the lake from its closest rival, Bethel College. Today’s passage was a long running nerdy joke – Go to Bethel and sin – between the two…
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Hear this word, you . . . who oppress the poor, who crush the needy . . . Amos 4:1 In my drug use, I neglected the concerns of those around me. I did what I wanted without considering the consequences for others. Frankly, my needs and desires were more important than the needs and desires…
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Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued . . .” Amos 3:12 Years ago, I trekked up a spectacular mountain in Colorado with a large group of guys.…
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You made the Nazirites drink wine . . . Amos 2:12 I’ve been wrestling with the same five pounds for the last couple months, some days winning the battle and some days losing it. I’ve known for a while that I needed to start a food diary, but I hate the idea, so I’ve been dragging…
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I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh . . . Joel 2:28 When I went to residency, my lifestyle radically changed. I spent more time in the hospital, had less time for exercise, and abandoned healthy eating habits. After a year, I couldn’t quite figure out why the guy in the mirror was…
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