Stepping in the Light

“Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more.” Amos 7:7-8

A plumb line is simply a weight tied to a string that builders use to determine whether a wall is straight up and down. You hold the string in place at the top of the wall and allow the weight to hang freely just above the floor. The weight will swing back and forth at first; but when the movement stops, the string will be perfectly vertical (or plumb). The plumb line gives us an absolute standard by which to judge the construction of the wall. If a builder did not use a plumb line, he could certainly build walls, but he would never know for sure whether they were straight. A vertical wall will hold more weight, and it will continue to stand as long as it remains plumb. When a wall begins to lean, there is a danger that the building could collapse. God has a standard by which He measures our lives. We are either in line with His Word, or we are not. If we begin to lean away from His principles a little bit, most people will not notice; but if we allow ourselves to continue to stray from God’s Word, it will become obvious to everyone, and our lives will eventually crumble. Each of us should ask the Lord to measure our lives against His standard and be willing to make corrections as He speaks to our hearts.

“As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.” Amos 5:19

The scenario pictured here seems a little extreme and far-fetched. Imagine yourself running from a lion, only to meet a bear coming from the other direction. Imagine going inside your house (a place where you feel safe), resting your hand on the wall and being bitten by a snake. The chances of having all of that happen in one day are extremely remote. It would seem that a person would be much more likely to be struck by lightning. The people of Judah and Israel had been hearing that judgment was coming for many years. It seemed highly unlikely to them that any of what Amos prophesied about could ever come to pass. But the warning was clear: judgment is coming; change your ways. In addition to the certainty of God’s judgment, this passage speaks to the severity of His judgment. No one rolls out of the bed in the morning hoping to be chased by a lion and a bear, or bitten by a snake. God is saying that the results of rebelling against Him are far worse than we can imagine. Human nature hasn’t changed in the thousands of years since this prophecy was written. We have a tendency to overlook and excuse our sin. We justify ourselves in our own minds by telling ourselves that we are not as bad as some other people. Our backsliding may seem small and innocent to us, but the destruction that is waiting for us is real and will be devastating.

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3

God sent Amos to preach to the people and warn them of their sin and the coming judgment. The people had rebelled for so long that God’s patience was wearing thin. God said, “Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves” (Amos 2:13). God wanted His people to worship Him and obey His commands. The people wanted God’s blessings, but they did not want to be bothered with the many details of the Old Testament Law. Serving Jehovah restricted their freedom and consumed their time. By asking the simple question above, God was forcing them to face the root of their problem. By failing to obey His commandments, they were refusing to walk in His direction. The Lord has given every person a sovereign will. Each of us has the freedom to choose the way we want to go in life. If two people are walking through a field together, they can only continue to walk together as long as they agree on the direction they are walking. If either person chooses to go a different way, they will soon be separated. Even if their change in bearing is very slight, they will immediately begin to drift apart and gradually get further away from each other. This same principle applies to our spiritual condition. We can only walk closely with the Lord when we choose to follow Him and walk the way that He has chosen for us. How closely do you feel God’s presence in your life today? Do you feel that He is walking along with you? If not, how can you change your course to match His?

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10

In this passage, the Lord was allowing John to view future events that will take place in heaven. God will one day judge the inhabitants of the earth, and His wrath will be poured out upon them. In this vision, John saw a sealed book in the right hand of God. This book contained God’s judgments for mankind. A search was made for someone who would be found worthy to open the book so that these judgments could be carried out, but no man was found worthy. In his vision, John wept because there was no one who could open the book. Then John saw the Lamb of God, Who is Jesus Christ, step forward to open the book. Everyone began to worship the Lamb and to sing that He was worthy to open the book. Jesus is worthy because He is holy, because He is the Son of God, because He lived a perfect life on this earth, and because He sacrificed Himself for the sins of the world. No other person was righteous enough to open the book of God’s judgment. “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). Jesus is certainly worthy of our praise. Let us recognize what He has done for us and praise Him because He is worthy!

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:6-8

As John describes the scene around the throne of God in heaven, he tells us about four unusual creatures. These beasts had appearances similar to a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle, but they had several unique characteristics. Their bodies were full of eyes, perhaps calling our attention to the fact that God sees everything. Each beast also had six wings, but perhaps the most amazing thing about them was their endurance. Each one proclaimed, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” They repeated their pronouncement night and day, never stopping for rest. Why did John tell us about these creatures, and what do they mean to us? When we get to heaven, we will see them and hear them for ourselves, but just knowing about them now tells us emphatically that God is holy. We cannot approach Him in our sinful condition. We must be willing to confess and forsake our sins before entering into His presence in prayer.

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12

Fallow ground refers to land that is either unused or unusable for planting and harvesting crops. After a few years of lying dormant, the ground becomes hard and overgrown with weeds. Seeds scattered on soil in this condition have no hope of penetrating the surface, germinating, and producing a crop. The Lord wants us to bear fruit spiritually, and He likens our hearts to soil that needs to be cultivated in order to be productive. Trees, stumps, rocks, thorns, and weeds need to be removed before the land can be plowed and crops planted. The parallel here is that we have things in our lives that need to be removed before we can become fruitful Christians. Land that has never been cultivated requires a tremendous amount of preparation. A heart that has been left untended demands that we root out the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). Is there some anger, bitterness, or jealousy that has taken root in your life? The longer we allow it to grow, the more difficult it will be to remove. Even if a piece of ground has been used for agriculture during the previous season, it must be plowed and prepared before the seed is planted. Our hearts quickly begin to harden when we neglect to read God’s Word, pray, and attend church regularly. Being a productive Christian requires a great deal of effort, and it is up to us to make sure our hearts are in the right condition to bear fruit.

“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind….” Hosea 8:7

Windstorms wield a tremendous amount of power. A tornado or hurricane can topple massive trees, turn over cars, and completely demolish buildings. The wind is directional, and its direction can change very quickly. The Israelites were very fickle spiritually. They had a difficult time remaining steadfast in their worship of Jehovah. They had heard His voice at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-20), but within forty days they had made a golden calf and had begun to worship it. In the days of the judges, they would return to the Lord for a few years at a time and then quickly become enamored with the idols of another nation. During the years of the monarchy, there were many more kings who allowed or encouraged idol worship than those who were faithful to the Lord. God sent His prophets to preach of judgment, and sometimes the people would heed the message and turn to the Lord; but they usually either ignored the prophets or persecuted and killed them. Even when they tried to repent, their repentance did not last. By saying that the people of Israel had sowed to the wind, God was saying that they had turned a different direction. They turned away from the Lord and served other gods. When God said that they reaped the whirlwind, He was declaring that their chastening would be more severe because of their prolonged disobedience. The brief pleasure of living for sin and self is never worth the sorrow and pain brought on by failing to obey God’s Word.

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and omega is the last. The Lord is making a powerful statement here regarding the perspective we need to have in order to gain a proper understanding of our existence in His universe. We are naturally egocentric beings, but God is telling us that everything is actually about Him. He was before all things (Colossians 1:17), and He will remain the center of all things for all eternity. In Genesis 1:3, God gave us light; in John 1:9, He gives light to every person; and in Revelation 22:5, He is the light of heaven for eternity. He is Alpha because He is the Creator. He conceived the master plan for the entire universe, and He designed the smallest molecules and the tiniest atoms from which all things are made. He understood all things concerning our existence before He created us. He determined that He would give us a free will in spite of the fact that He knew that we would rebel against His laws. He knew that He would have to redeem us when we went astray, and He was willing to provide Himself as the sacrifice for our sin. He is the Omega because He commands the future. God tells us in His Word what things we can expect to happen at the end of the age and into eternity. Good news, Christian! If He is the first and the last, then He is everything in between. That means He cares for you today, and He will guide you all the way.

“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” Jude 20-23

The word compassion here means to have pity upon or to have mercy upon. Jude challenges us to build up our faith, to pray, and to keep ourselves in the love of God. As we do these things, we will grow stronger in faith, in prayer, and in our relationship with the Lord. But what are we to do with our newfound strength? We are to have compassion on others, particularly those who do not yet know the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we as Christians are to have compassion on the lost, we must first notice them and take knowledge of their spiritual condition. When Jesus saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36). Sometimes we fail to help people because we simply don’t notice them. Second, we must tell them the good news that Christ loves them and paid for their sins on Calvary. In Ephesians 6:15, the Christian’s armor includes having our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” We need to always be ready to share our faith. Third, we must show them what it means to have a personal relationship with the Lord. People are often not affected by what we say until they see what we do. In the life of a fruitful Christian, compassion makes the difference.

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” III John 2-4

In his greeting at the beginning of his third epistle, John expresses his wishes that Gaius, the recipient of the letter, would prosper and be in health physically as his soul prospered. John obviously esteemed Gaius as a very spiritual person, and John was pleased to have heard about the strength of his relationship with the Word of God. At the end of the passage above, John refers to “my children,” giving us the impression that Gaius was one of his converts. John rejoiced because of how much of the Bible Gaius knew (the truth that is in thee) and that Gaius was living his life according to scripture (thou walkest in the truth). John said that he had no greater joy than to hear that his converts were living according to scripture. How much does the Bible influence your life in a week’s time? Does the truth of scripture affect how you talk? Does it affect the places you go and the people you spend time with? Does it influence the way you spend your time and your money? If John had led you to Christ, would he be happy to hear about the things that are important to you and the way you spend your discretionary time? Every Christian’s goal should be to live every day walking in truth. We must first endeavor to know the Bible, and then we must decide to obey it.