Amos 5:24 “But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

From verse 21 the Lord is delivering one of the strongest condemnations of “religion as usual” in the whole Bible, and here he expresses what He wants to see instead, and it is immensely practical. When we view religion as an accessory, a decoration, it doesn’t matter how “skillfully” we do it, it doesn’t please God. When we think we are making God owe us something by what we are doing, we are only fooling ourselves. God wants to see us live out His character among our fellow human beings. Actually, the devil wants the same thing, but his character is to lie, steal, kill, and destroy. (John 8:44; 10:10) Radical Islamists are demonstrating who they worship by how they act. Christians should be demonstrating who they worship by how they act. This verse mentions justice and righteousness, but those terms can be expanded to include the whole character of God. When we oppress in the name of “tolerance,” there is no justice. When we live for pleasure and deny God’s laws, there is no righteousness. God is no wimp, and His love includes discipline that at times can be painful indeed. That too is included in His character, despite what some leaders proclaim. It was a breath of fresh air to me that Pope Francis came out and said that the radical Islamists should be dealt with, rather than mouthing some pseudo-religious pablum. God is real, and those who follow Him need to get real.

I was greatly blessed to study Systematic Theology under Dr. John Kewiet. As a young man in Holland during WWII he was captured by the Nazis and put in a labor camp, but managed to escape. He spent the rest of the war dodging Nazi bullets and American bombs and came through with a very tested faith, to put it mildly. He taught, very persuasively, that if what we say we believe about God doesn’t impact our daily lives, it is meaningless. That really is what God is saying in this verse. As a pastor, I am at risk of teaching more than I am living, speaking truth but not applying it. That must not be! I have seen lives and ministries wrecked from precisely that problem, and I must be on my guard. My life is to be an illustration of my preaching, and not in a negative way! Often the Lord gives me a crash course in what I am preaching, between my preparing the notes and delivering them. That’s often not fun, but I am grateful. I don’t want to speak words, no matter how true, that don’t reflect what the Lord is doing in my life.

Father, thank You indeed for Your faithfulness to teach and grow me. May I be a demonstration of Your character indeed, speaking Your truth and living it out, so that “many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord,” (Psalm 40:3) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!