What Is In Your Heart?
"'Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings -- boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,' declares the Sovereign LORD." -- Amos 4:4-5
God's people thought it was okay to sin. They worshipped idols -- much like we worship money and status today. They thought they could do what they wanted, then offer sacrifices and tithe and God would look the other way. That's like people who go to church and write a check but behave dishonestly in business and personal relationships the other six days of the week. They think it's okay, that somehow God forgives them because they go through the right motions come Sunday.
God wants you. And He wants me. He wants our hearts and minds and souls. God doesn't get any joy or glory when we merely go through the motions. He wants us to do good, to want to do good, because we love Him and desire to honor Him with our thoughts and actions.
Yeah, we're all sinners. The difference is in the desire to do good versus the idea that bad behavior is okay so long as we repent later. But repenting, then going out and doing the same thing again and again, isn't true repentance. How can anyone think they can hide their true intentions from God?
So I'll ask the question again: What is in your heart? Do you truly love God and want to do His will in all things? Or do you make excuses for bad behavior? It's a pretty big issue. One only you and God can work out. Remember that He already knows the answer. But do you?
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