Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?

Amos 3:3 (ESV)

David’s Wednesday Word:

A few days ago, Debbie asked if I would join her and our youngest grandson for a walk on our property. I immediately agreed. It was a beautiful day in Kansas! Absolutely!

If I had not agreed—if my answer had not been “Yes”—we would not have walked together.

That sounds obvious.

Amos was a shepherd. He was used to walking! God called him to speak prophetic words, and in chapter 3 he addressed the northern kingdom of Israel.

He exposed their transgressions.

Israel was part of God’s chosen people, but strength and prosperity had contributed to complacency. The nation had embraced idolatry, and God was not pleased.

Amos asked a series of questions with seemingly obvious answers. One of the most sobering was, “Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?”

That question makes me uncomfortable.

It causes me to reflect on my own nation. More importantly, it causes me to reflect on my own life.

Has my society embraced idolatry? Have I?

I need to be careful with my answer. But when I examine my own life, I recognize that the answer can be “Yes.”

So many things can tempt me: money, achievements, family, health, comfort, control, approval, politics, possessions, entertainment, knowledge, ministry, independence, even clinging to the past.

That is a long list.

And almost everything on it can be good. But a good thing can become an idol when I give it the place that belongs to God.

Amos reminds me that idolatry matters. Turning from God has consequences, whether for individuals or societies.

I cannot begin by pointing at everyone else.

It starts with me.

I must identify and let go of my own idols. Then I can more faithfully encourage others to examine what may be competing with God in their lives.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for Your love, even when Your correction can be difficult. When I turn good things into idols, I can move away from Your plans and purposes for me. Help me identify anything that has taken Your rightful place. I choose to trust You, let go of my idols, and rest in Your presence.

— David Beauchamp
Temporary Ministries

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Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

Joel 1:14 (ESV)

David’s Wednesday Word:

I have never been in a physical fight. Well, unless you count the time my father-in-law tried to tickle me and I chose to prevent him from doing so.

I have experienced other kinds of attacks. Words can hurt. False accusations can quickly put me into a defensive mode.

The situation Joel was dealing with was different. His nation was experiencing devastation. Locusts had destroyed the land, and the people were suffering.

Joel described it this way in chapter one, verse four: “What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.”

Sounds awful.

So what did Joel tell the people to do?

He said, “Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.”

Get attacked? Declare a fast!

In other words, humbly submit to the Lord. Seek Him first. Cry out to Him.

I observe that our society is also under spiritual pressure. Many people want to ignore God or marginalize Him. I may not be able to change what others do, but God’s people can still gather together, humble ourselves, and seek Him.

If we do that, God can begin by changing us.

And then, as we remain open to the divine appointments He gives us, we can influence others—our family, our friends, and our neighbors.

When the fight comes to me, my first response does not need to be defensiveness.

It can be dependence on God.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I don’t like being in a fight. But sometimes the fight comes to me. May I always respond with trust in You. Help me to humbly seek You first, and may I influence others to do the same.

— David Beauchamp
Temporary Ministries

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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge

Hosea 4:6 (ESV)

David’s Wednesday Word:

I’ve spent a lot of time in libraries. I even have multiple bookcases in my home office filled with books. I wish I could say that I have read them all. I still have years of reading ahead of me.

I guess it is no surprise that I have all these books. I have also spent much of my life attending schools. A PhD is called a terminal degree. Sometimes I think I have learned enough, and the next step for me is whatever comes after terminal!

The entire text of Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

That seems harsh.

But is it?

Hosea observed that the people in his day had “forgotten the law” of God. I see something similar in many people today. I recently read an article about people who claim to follow Jesus but rarely, if ever, gather with other Christians.

How can that be? How can followers of Jesus grow in their knowledge of how to follow Him without the benefit of others?

The danger is not simply that we do not know enough. It is that we can reject the knowledge God has given us by neglecting His Word and separating ourselves from others who are also seeking to follow Him.

That choice has consequences. It can even affect our children and grandchildren. That makes sense to me. If I do not seek God, it becomes much harder to expect my family to seek Him.

So how do I handle this?

For me, I pursue the knowledge of God by pursuing His Word. I encourage people to read God’s Word cover-to-cover every year. I also encourage people to learn from others who are faithfully following Him. That shared experience allows me to benefit from what the Holy Spirit is teaching others.

I do not want to reject God’s knowledge.

I want to embrace it.

Prayer: Almighty God, I realize that my knowledge is so limited. It is only through pursuing You that I can know how to live the life You desire for me. Thank You for giving me Your Word and other believers so that I can remain a lifelong learner before You.

— David Beauchamp
Temporary Ministries

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To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 

Daniel 9:8 (ESV)

David’s Wednesday Word:

I have been voting in elections for the past 50 years.

In 1976, the United States had just celebrated its Bicentennial—but we were hurting. A president had recently resigned in disgrace, and unemployment and inflation were high.

I didn’t really trust what was going on in Washington, D.C. I guess I still don’t!

Politicians claimed faith in Jesus then, just as some do today. I appreciated hearing those words, but words alone were not enough then, and they still aren’t.

The pain and distrust of 1976 seem to have continued into today.

I look at the political divisiveness around us and I hurt. The midterm elections are less than four weeks away. Will our nation heal?

Based on the political ads I see, each side seems determined to convince us that the other side is nearly evil.

What should I believe?

I don’t have many answers.

More than 2,500 years ago, the prophet Daniel also lived amid political turmoil. In Daniel 9, he confessed the sin of his people before God, declaring that shame belonged to “our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you.”

We haven’t progressed very far. Sin still affects individuals, nations, and our world.

So what can I do?

I need to begin by confessing my own sin.

I struggle to be a good steward of God’s blessings. I don’t always take care of my body. I can overlook the pain of others. I tend toward selfishness.

Fortunately, Jesus took the punishment for my sin upon Himself. I can seek His forgiveness, and He is faithful to forgive.

For our nation and our world, I also want to join others in confessing our corporate sin. We have often ignored God and lived as though we are accountable only to ourselves.

Perhaps healing begins here: with confession.

Confession requires humility. It requires me to admit before my Creator that I am not in control—and that I need Him to be.

I don’t know what will happen when America votes.

But right now, I can confess.

And I can invite others to do the same.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as the United States approaches another election, may we humble ourselves before You and confess our sin and our need for You. The outcome may not be what any of us want, but may we recognize our need to follow You as the true King of our lives.

— David Beauchamp
Temporary Ministries

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And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel 2:7 (ESV)

David’s Wednesday Word:

As a father, I deeply loved my youngest daughter. But she could also be a bit frustrating. Her bedroom was always a mess. It seemed that nothing I said—whether encouraging, challenging, or even threatening—made much difference when it came to keeping her room straight.

I remember getting to the point of thinking, “Why should I even say anything?”

This is the daughter we lost in a car accident over 13 years ago. One of our last experiences involved cleaning up the mess of the room she was living in at the time.

Oh, how I miss her mess.

The words of the prophet Ezekiel were also often met with hardened ears. He was an exile in Babylon. Jerusalem was moving toward destruction, and God gave him the difficult task of warning the people about their sin.

The interesting thing is that God commissioned Ezekiel to speak, while also making it clear that the people might—or might not—listen.

Regardless, Ezekiel was to speak the words.

I don’t know about you, but I like results! I wanted my daughter to have a clean room. I am sure Ezekiel wanted his words to influence the people.

Yet God made something very clear: there might be no visible results.

Speak. Be faithful. That is enough.

Why? Because the people were rebellious.

I think we face something similar today. Many people ignore God. Some openly reject Him. Others simply do not want to live as though they are accountable to a Creator.

But just like Ezekiel, I am still called to speak truth.

I should speak with love, but I should speak.

What I cannot do is make anyone listen. I cannot make anyone believe. I cannot make anyone decide to follow Jesus.

So what can I do?

I can faithfully speak without demanding results.

That can be hard. But as I live my life with God, faithfulness means doing what He calls me to do rather than measuring success by whether others respond the way I hope.

My responsibility is faithfulness.

The results belong to God.

Prayer: Almighty God, sometimes I grow tired of speaking truth when it seems that no one is listening or even cares. But I commit myself to being faithful to Your calling. I am Your servant. I submit to You and will lovingly share Your truth with others, whether they hear or refuse to hear.

— David Beauchamp
Temporary Ministries

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