What God Really Wants From You
Amos 5:21-24 "I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want. (MSG)
Like anything, Christianity can be turned into a lucrative business. The wealth of some churches is astonishing. And it’s easy for simple God-fearing folk like you and me to get sucked up into all that.
That sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it? But then again, the Christian church around the world is sitting on trillions of dollars of real estate and assets, some of which isn’t being used all that well. And frankly, my social media feeds are full of ads for this conference, that performance, this movement of God and that prophetic … well, on and on.
Of course the church needs assets to do God’s work. Sure, there should be meetings around the world to study God’s Word and to worship Him. But you can easily get caught up in the machinery, the self-aggrandising business of Christianity and lose sight of what God really wants.
So, what does He want? Here it is, from the contemporary Message translation:
Amos 5:21-24 I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want. (MSG)
It’s not all that complicated. Worship God from the heart with all that you are. Live out your faith in love by being just and fair. And don’t get caught up in all the hoopla.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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