Category: Devotional

What God Likes – Amos 5:21–24

Key Verse:
“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” — Amos 5:24 (NIV)

God’s words through Amos are uncomfortable by design. Something was fundamentally wrong. Israel’s worship had become performative. They honored God publicly while privately allowing idols, injustice, and divided loyalties to take root. God makes it clear: religious activity, no matter how sincere it looks, cannot substitute for faithfulness, justice, and wholehearted devotion.

This passage reminds us that God is not impressed by outward displays if they are disconnected from inward allegiance. What He desires most is a people who place Him first, live justly, and walk in righteousness as a natural overflow of a genuine relationship with Him. Worship that pleases God is not loud or visible by necessity.  It is faithful, obedient, and aligned with His character.

For me, this lands close to home. It is easy to confuse spiritual activity with spiritual intimacy. God is calling me back to the quiet places.  He calls me to be still, seek His face deliberately, fast privately, read His Word not for appearance or output, but for communion. Justice, righteousness, and loyalty to God begin there, in the unseen places where no one else is watching.

Today’s call is simple, but not easy.  Pursue God Himself, not just the actions that look like devotion. When that happens, justice and righteousness will follow—not as performance, but as fruit.

Stinginess – James 5:1‑9

James 5:8 – “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

It’s striking how James begins this chapter by calling out those who hoard wealth and fail to treat others fairly, like the farmer who hasn’t paid his workers. But right alongside that warning is a picture of patience, a farmer waiting for the land to yield its crop. That contrast reminds me that patience and thankfulness are the opposite of grumbling, greed, or self-absorption. It is not easy at all to see God’s Kingdom and his righteousness as more important than my desires.

Instead, it’s far too easy to get caught up in my own wants, thinking about what I feel I deserve or how I can get more. James challenges that focus. Instead of constantly chasing after more, I want to pause, be thankful for what I have, and consider how I can use it for God.