What’s Your Motivation? – July 18, 2024

Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.” . . . Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
Amos 7:12,14,15

What’s Your Motivation?

It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book: ignore the message by discrediting the messenger. God had sent Amos to call his people to repentance, and Amaziah ignored Amos’ message by accusing him of being a professional who was only concerned about himself.

That kind of thing happens a lot. Christians speak the truth about sin and are called unloving for their trouble. That’s why staying quiet is often easier than confronting someone with their sin.

The problem is that God does not save people by your silence; he saves people by his truth. So what motivates you? Concern for yourself or concern for others?

God may not have called you to be a prophet, but prophets are not the only ones who share God’s truth. Every Christian gets to do that. And if you’re only concerned about yourself, that would be very difficult to do.

Amos made it clear that he was not a professional prophet. He was a shepherd who would still be at his farm if the Lord hadn’t said, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” In other words, Amos didn’t ask to be a prophet; that’s what God made him.

Something similar happened with you. You didn’t ask God to declare Jesus guilty of every sin you’ve ever committed, nor did you ask him to punish Jesus for all those sins instead of you. But he did because he loves you.

He made you someone who listens to him, so listen to what he has to say: sin is serious and separates us from him, but Jesus is the solution to the sin problem. God grant that people will hear Jesus’ Word from your mouth so that they will see Jesus in heaven.

Prayer:
Lord, give me a genuine concern for the spiritual welfare of others. Amen.