Works of Faith: Moving beyond the familiar

Amos 5:21(KJV): “I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.” 

Whether it is church, political office, community, and/or society there are things that displeases God. Our actions and attitudes show that God is really in our hearts and minds at all. We hide behind titles such as pastor, president, deacon, basilus, and patron only to allow it to spotlight our character and lack of relationship with God. We even have pseudo-worship where God is not the focus nor the center of our praise and wonder why the status of various situations never change. In fact, we are blessed that things are as good, or horrible, as it is. Be not deceived, God is not to be mocked, if our lives are dysfunctional then just own it and stop trying to make right out of a wrong situation. Nothing will progress, grow, or manifest until some necessary changes are made to your lives. We need The Holy Ghost to change us and develop us. We must move beyond the familiar which is tradition, doing the things we see other folks do and we imitate knowing it is against everything that God has said and commanded. 

I developed this article after reading the book of Amos for 15 hours at E.L. White Theological Seminary. These are my devotional thoughts on worship taken from the book of Amos.In the book of Amos, the people of Israel were busy sacrificing to God but God did not accept their sacrifices. They were busy singing their songs, but God did not accept their songs. They used the best musical instruments of David, but God did not accept their music. They observed all the appointed feasts but God did not accept their feasts. In fact, these were the very things that God despised. We can learn the following from their experiences. Everything we offer is wrapped up in scandal and chaos. Our elections are marked by voter fraud. Our churches are the more or less brothels and the wild wild west show and we wonder why God rejects our worship. Because we continually go back to the familiar. Old outdated ways, rehearsed prayers, crooked politics, and unsaved people being placed in anointed places.  

The people of Israel had enjoyed a time of great prosperity; they could have one of two reactions: They could react as most were doing; showing pride and boastfulness. They were living extravagantly, and took all the credit for their prosperity themselves. They made the pursuit of prosperity their primary objective. They were not grieved or concerned at all about the condition of their nation. The causes of complacency in the church are very well described here. We have been raised and live in the most affluent nation in the world. We are accustomed to a lifestyle that would be viewed as extravagant by most of the rest of the world. Do we grieve for the lost? Does anybody even care? Or do we just keep playing games and playing with God and His people’s lives? If we continue on this path we will continue to be on the path and the road that carries us to the familiar and the same degradation we have come to love and accept. But it does not please God. Move beyond the familiar. 

Earl W. Hughes Jr. is Director/Founder of Works of Faith Ministries.