It’s Friday…Out of Balance

“It’s a conspiracy.” That was the assessment of a paranoid priest warning a corrupt king of a prophet’s declaration of God’s plans for Israel. When the prophet Amos told the Truth of God, he was considered a troublemaker, a disturber of the national peace, a mudslinger void of constructive criticism. (Things haven’t changed much, have they?) Never mind that the message came directly from the God of Israel; the leaders of Israel didn’t like that. They saw it as an attempt to undermine the public order.

“Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.”  (Amos 7:10)

That’s almost always the criticism when God’s people express God’s righteousness, isn’t it? We hear declarations like – “God is a God of love; He wouldn’t be so judgmental.” Or, “You must be a miserable person to be so critical. The god I know has more compassion than that.” And, “Why can’t you be more tolerant? God wants people to get along, to live and let live.” Such rebuttals have truth in them, but it’s truth Out Of Balance. And truth out of balance is error.

Yes, the Truth is that God is loving and compassionate and a promoter of peace. And just as important is that God is holy and righteous and will not allow sin to reign in His Kingdom. Like any loving father, God sometimes rebukes His children, and sometimes the rebuke is stern. The God of love is a God of True Love – love based on true foundations and uncompromising in its integrity. True love doesn’t let evil flourish.

Every follower of Jesus who expresses His will in a balanced way will draw criticism from those who have an unbalanced concept of God. The idea that God is intolerant of evil has always been seen as a threat to the public order. We who know God’s righteousness are viewed as problematic. Citizens of God’s Kingdom are troublemakers to this world, while citizens of this world are troublemakers in God’s Kingdom. There is nothing wrong with pointing out the difference.

Let’s stand firm for God’s Truth and let’s be His salt and His light in the world. The land can – and must – bear our words of warning.

Have a Truth-filled weekend. Make it better by worshiping The LORD with those who love to hear, speak, and live His Truth in every arena of life. They are convinced the world is dying to hear it.

All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)