Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, Who cause the seat
of violence to come near; Who lie on
beds of ivory, Stretch out on your couches, Eat lambs from the flock And calves
from the midst of the stall; Who sing idly to the sound of stringed
instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; Who
drink wine from bowls, And anoint yourselves with the best ointments, But are
not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. – Amos 6v3-6
I always
thought that couch potatoes were a modern phenomenon. The term may be new, but
the prophet Amos had to deal with them way back then. Pay attention to a
description of them.
‘You don’t
worry about the future. You thrive on violence. You lie in your beds, stretch
out on your couches, eat your barbecue, listen to your ipods, control the
remote, drink the best drinks, and use the best body sprays. But you don’t
worry yourselves about the nation’s need of God.’
Well, that’s
not exactly what it says, but it certainly could be if Amos wrote today.
Can anybody
else say ‘ouch?’
This is an
attitude I think we all can recognise. It is symptomatic of Comfort Zone
Christianity. We want to serve God and do what He wants – unless it upsets what
makes me comfortable. At this moment we have brother in Christ who under and
execution order simply because he won’t turn to Islam. He is just the most
visible of thousands who are under persecution and threat because of their
faith.
It is high
time to wake up out of sleep. We had better to get to work now, for the time is
coming when the work will be done. When that day comes I hope I am not
stretched out on the couch saying ‘pass the remote.’
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