Saturday, August 19, 2006

Amos 9 Good root= good fruit, bad root-bad fruit- Time to uproot, replant...

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.

Amos 9:1-1
A Vision of God at the Altar
1Then I saw a vision of the Lord standing beside the altar. He said, "Strike the tops of the Temple columns so hard that the foundation will shake. Smash the columns so the roof will crash down on the people below. Then those who survive will be slaughtered in battle. No one will escape!
2"Even if they dig down to the place of the dead, F20 I will reach down and pull them up. Even if they climb up into the heavens, I will bring them down. 3Even if they hide at the very top of Mount Carmel, I will search them out and capture them. Even if they hide at the bottom of the ocean, I will send the great sea serpent after them to bite and destroy them. 4Even if they are driven into exile, I will command the sword to kill them there. I am determined to bring disaster upon them and not to help them."
5The Lord, the LORD Almighty, touches the land and it melts, and all its people mourn. The ground rises like the Nile River at floodtime, and then it sinks again. 6The upper stories of the LORD's home are in the heavens, while its foundation is on the earth. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The LORD is his name!
7"Do you Israelites think you are more important to me than the Ethiopians F21 ?" asks the LORD. "I brought you out of Egypt, but have I not done as much for other nations, too? I brought the Philistines from Crete F22 and led the Arameans out of Kir.
8"I, the Sovereign LORD, am watching this sinful nation of Israel, and I will uproot it and scatter its people across the earth. Yet I have promised that I will never completely destroy the family of Israel, F23 " says the LORD. 9"For I have commanded that Israel be persecuted by the other nations as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. 10But all the sinners will die by the sword—all those who say, 'Nothing bad will happen to us.'
A Promise of Restoration
11"In that day I will restore the fallen kingdom of David. It is now like a house in ruins, but I will rebuild its walls and restore its former glory. 12And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be mine. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do these things.
13"The time will come," says the LORD, "when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine! 14I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine. 15I will firmly plant them there in the land I have given them," says the LORD your God. "Then they will never be uprooted again."
FOOTNOTES:F20: Hebrew to Sheol. F21: Hebrew the Cushites. F22: Hebrew Caphtor. F23: Hebrew the house of Jacob.


Copyright Statement:
Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

~ Lena’s Journalin’~
As you read this you see a progression of life’s consequences and we are seeing the thoughts of God on matters of people. He tells them of His desire, then shows what happens when one turns from that desire, because it is His Divine plan that we were created by Him to fulfill. There are always consequences of turning from the Divine plan to live out what we think we’d “rather” do
Divine Destiny must be fulfilled. I can participate or I can suffer in my lack of participation.
Hopefully by God’s great grace the suffering will be used to steer me back on course to Divine Destiny once again.
If my suffering steers me back it has done it’s work. I must be led back to purpose, I must find myself in His plan. This is my reason, this is my call. All of our call. We may as well adapt an attitude of service and submission to His will. “OK, Lord what is it You desire of me? That is what I will live for, that is what I want to give my life for, as Jesus gave His life for me.” If it takes smashing old fortresses, one’s I’ve built for myself with walls that have kept the plans of God out, walls so tall I can’t even see the plan of God. Bring the walls down, that we may see, Him, face to face, eye to eye, nose to nose, mouth to mouth! Smash what holds this wrong perspective and thinking up! Uproot every evil tree.
“Take out of my life what offends you God. Let’s get a “backhoe” and get all of the bad roots out so the only return I have is that of blessings, the blessings of You. Lord I thank You for the rain (of your spirit), for the rivers and streams, they make the work of uprooting so much easier, they just wash the dirt away.”
The house of David is a place, a place inside of each of us where God is made number 1, where He is worshipped day and night, night and day. Day in and day out. Where I’m not inhibited in worship, nothing can stop it in me. I’m a worshipper. I love Him with all my heart, soul & strength. I love Him enough to bless who He blesses, and love who He loves. I’m after His heart.
When that heart of David is in me, love is restored to me and love is restored to Him and He has obtained a man- a person and aTemple for prayer, for worship, for love, for His plan. Walls will crash down, for nothing will stand in the way of passionate and intimate love.
New root systems will form to bring forth good fruit on good trees, trees who’s fruit will remain, they will not need uprooting, for these tree’s leaves will feed nations, these tree’s fruits will fed peoples and heal them all. Everyone who comes my way will be nourished and fed, rather than poisoned or harmed. Good roots = good fruits. Bad roots= bad fruits!
Can’t have both, but must have ONE (or the other). We choose.




Daily Meditation/Recital/Question
Isaiah 58:12 (New Living Translation)
12 Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.