Read Amos Chapter 8
Is Your Fruit Spoiling And Rotting?
God showed Amos a basket of summer fruit and asked, “What do you see?” Amos replied, “A basket of summer fruit.” And the Lord said, ” The end has come For My People Israel. I will spare them no longer. ” Just as summer fruit spoils quickly, only to be destroyed, so will Israel soon be destroyed for overlooking the needy, and for cheating people in the market place. Such behavior goes on over and over and over again. Israel looks good in that they keep the Sabbath and the new Moon Festival before God, but only outwardly. Inwardly, their hearts can’t wait till they get home and get back to doing what’s really important to them.
How is your spiritual fruit? Is it good fruit or rotten fruit? God wants nothing to do with rotten fruit. What does the next seven days look like on your schedule? What will you be doing? Will you be going shopping? Will you buy a number of nice items for yourself? In your time of shopping is there any person you will be thinking of who needs perhaps a pair of shoes or a nice top? Perhaps you could purchase something for them?
Will your schedule be full of odd jobs around the house or will you be busy working? Are you saving your money up for something really cool that you can buy for yourself? How about your neighbor who needs help fixing their fence and can’t afford the two boards needed to do so? Or the old man whose push mower is broken and can’t mow his yard? Perhaps you could respond to one of these needs vs buying something for yourself that you don’t need.
Is your schedule so busy you just don’t have time to read the word of God and pray? When Sunday comes you go to church and fulfill all the religious expectations. You even go to Sunday school. But in your hearts, are you anxious to get home so you can do what’s really important to you?
Perhaps we aren’t much different from what the Israelites were doing?
Lord help us to produce fruit that lasts forever. Help us to be conscious of the needs around us and to respond. May our investment in you be done with passion and excitement.
