Morning Coffee With Renae

Amos 3:9 – 10 “Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: ‘Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people. They do not know how to do right,’ declares the Lord, ‘who hoard plunder and loot in their fortresses.’ “

I was a sophomore in college. He cheated on me, then dumped me. Yep, that’s right. The two-timing scalawag made a fool of me, and I was humiliated. Good thing I was young, though. Within a couple of weeks, I had moved on. But still, it didn’t help my pride any when one day, I publicly tripped and fell, right in front of this guy who, needless to say wasn’t on my top-ten-list-of-favorite-people. Yes, that’s right. I fell flat on my derriere, and he saw the whole thing. Then, to make matters worse, he came over and helped me up.

Man.

Talk about a low point.

Now friends, God knows all about low points and humiliation. Yes, He’s a loving God. But when we refuse—I mean absolutely refuse to repent and do right, God will do whatever it takes to get our attention. And sometimes, that includes humiliation.

Ashdod was a Philistine city. According to Amos, God planned to invite Philistia and Egypt—some of Israel’s cruelest neighbors—to witness Israel’s sins. And to watch her punishment, too. Not only would Israel get taught a lesson; they’d do so while their worst enemies watched.

Ouch.

Why must God be so cruel?

Well, it’s like this. He’s not cruel. But He does make sure the punishment fits the crime. Israel had sinned, and God gave her a slap on the hand. Israel ignored the warning, and continued sinning. God slapped a little harder. But Israel ignored God’s repeated warnings, time and again, until she finally became deaf to God’s call. Eventually, the lines between right and wrong had blurred so severely, Israel forgot how to tell the difference. Sin’s hold on her was so great, she didn’t even recognize God’s voice any more.

Sin does that. In the beginning, we feel terrible, knowing we’ve gone against our God, against our principals. But the next time is a little easier. And the next time and the next time until eventually, we don’t feel bad at all. As a matter of fact, we don’t even remember what it felt like—that thing called guilt.

Sin’s power is strong, my friends. It causes spiritual amnesia, making us forget who we are and what we stand for. And in order to break its hold on us, sometimes God has to allow some pretty severe consequences in our lives. I’m so glad He loves me enough to break me, to humiliate me. I’m so glad He doesn’t just give up, wash His mighty hands of my sorry self, and say, “Forget her. She’s hopeless.”

No, He won’t ever do that, where His children are concerned. He loves us so much, He will show His ferocity and might, and allow our total and complete humiliation, if that’s what it takes to make us remember who we are and Whose we are.

I hope I can always remember, before it gets to that point.

Dear Father, Forgive me for my stubbornness. Help me to repent before sin causes me to forget who I am in You. 

Amen

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