changed His mind

Do you think that God changes His mind?

Plenty of places in the Bible tell us that God had planned to do something but then decided not to.

In the book of Amos, it tells us a few times that God changed His mind.

Weird to think about, right? 

I think we or I, have grown accustomed to the idea that God has everything planned out and doesn't change His plans. 

So what do we do when we come across verses like...

 "So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people." Exodus 32:14 (He was going to destroy the Israelites, but Moses interceded and God granted them mercy.)

"The Lord changed His mind about this. “It shall not be,” said the Lord." Amos 7:3

"The Lord changed His mind about this. “This too shall not be,” said the Lord God." Amos 7:6

On the contrary, there are other verses say that He will not change His mind. Perhaps in the context He didn't, but that doesn't mean He won't ever change His mind like in Amos.

In the book of Amos, the Israelites were living recklessly. Their arrogance took over and therefore, caused them to live selfishly. All that mattered to them were their desires. It was a time of war. A time of power. A time of violence. A time of greed. 

So of course, God was upset. He was disappointed that His people weren't living the way He wanted them to. They weren't living in peace. They weren't taking care of the poor. 

They were craving power.

Therefore, Amos was trying to warn them of God's judgment. He was saying, "Hey, you've been warned...don't you want to change your ways! God is not happy."

Side note: Do you ever think of God as happy? Sad? Joyous? Mad?

Often, I think we picture God is a blank slate with no emotions, but I argue that.

Throughout the Bible, emotions are portrayed.

Anyway, Amos becomes so desperate for the people. He yearns for redemption and salvation from the locusts God would send. So guess what he does?

He prays. He asks for forgiveness. He cries out to God (chapter 7, verse 2).

You know what happens?

Because of Amos' petition and God's grace, God changed His mind.

"This will not happen," the Lord said (verse 3). 

Side note #2: Clearly, God hears our prayers. Our petitions can make a difference. Good thing, we aren't puppets on a string for God or our prayers would mean nothing to Him, but clearly they do. There is power in prayer.

Just like Jonah 3:10, "When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would [a]bring upon them. And He did not do it." God has planned to act upon His anger, but decided not to.

Continuing on in verse 5, Amos again tells God to stop and not send the fire that would destroy everything. God follows with, "This too will not happen." He had changed His mind once again (verse 6).  I don't think God would ever plan something good, and then decide to do something bad instead, because He isn't bad! 

The book of Amos ends with hope. It foreshadows Christ's coming and proves God's lovingkindness and grace can overpower our mistakes.

Chapter 9: v13 ‘There is a time coming’, says the *Lord.

‘A person will be ploughing a field.

He will catch up with a person who is harvesting the crops.

A person will walk on *grapes.

He will catch up with the person who was planting the *grapes.

New wine will run down from the mountains.

It will flow from all the hills.

v14 I will bring back my people, Israel, from *exile.

They will build again the cities that people have ruined.

And they will live in those cities.

They will plant fields of *grapes.

And they will drink the wine that comes from them.

They will make gardens and eat the fruit.

v15 I will plant my people on their own land.

I will not pull them out again.

This is the land that I gave them.’ This is what the *Lord your God says.

It reminds me of times when I get upset or disappointed and I may say things that are not in my character. Later on, I realize that I was emotional and my real character would not act that way.

God was disappointed in His people. He wanted so much more for them. If only they would listen, things would work out. He was upset and rightfully so, but thank God, His grace is unstoppable. All throughout the Bible, we read about God's judgment, but it seems to me that His grace always win, because He is good. He is loving. He is gracious. He is redemptive.

Like I've said many times before, His grace shouldn't be an excuse for us to live the way we want to live, but His grace should move us toward the love He wants us to live out. 

Jesus is the prime and BEST example, that although we were still sinners, He still died for us. 

Gosh, how amazing?! Redemption is a beautiful thing. We see it played out through the pages of the Bible. 

In the stories where God changed His mind, it shows us that prayer is meaningful and that He is good.
 His grace wins.

It definitely doesn't mean that He is not faithful or loyal because He changed His mind.

He is faithful all the time and He could have changed His mind about sending Jesus, but He didn't. 

Praise God for that!

This week we finish our reading plan by  reading through Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

 

Following in Your Footsteps: And the answer is...

I've been wanting to write this post for awhile, but for some reason, it seemed to continually be put on the backburner. You know what? I'm glad it did!

 Raise your hand if you know the answers for...
How do we gain world peace?
How do I love my sibling who annoys me?
How do I forgive?
How do I see eye to eye with someone who I disagree with?
 

I just started a new book and as I read the intro  I realized that it could be a huge tool in opening my eyes even wider to what the answer is in terms of being a better Christian.

 Each page turned in Red Letter Revolution, my eyes watered and my heart stretched.

It dawned on me that my attempt of being a Christian hasn't earned me a gold star or an A+. I have failed to really follow what Jesus has taught me. My eyes have skimmed over the red letters in the New Testament (the red letters being Jesus' words). Yes, I may have read His teachings but my reaction most likely resembled, "Wow, I wouldn't be able to do/say that" or "Aw, how nice...Jesus sure is an amazing guy!" Instead, I should have reacted in a way of, "That's the answer...that's how I reach my hurting sisters and brothers...thank you Jesus for showing me the way to their hearts...I can't wait to go out and serve them, just like You have served us."

 

The Gospel is all about love, service, and redemption. I believe that Jesus didn't serve those people just so we could read about it and adore Him. [Yes, we should definitely adore Him for who He is because He is amazing!] Instead, we should take one step farther and not only adore Him, but follow in His footsteps. He has shown us how to reach people. He wants to use us to represent the kingdom of God. Jeremiah 29:11 says that He has great plans for us and I believe that the number one plan He has is that we embody the kingdom of God.

You know those questions I asked in the beginning of the post?

Jesus has given us the answer.

Jesus is the answer.

 

When deciding what to do for the homeless & poor...Jesus is the answer.

When talking about war...Jesus is the answer.

When fighting with a friend...Jesus is the answer.

When in contact with someone different than us (whether it be color, orientation, religion)...Jesus is the answer.

 

Love, service & grace is who I see Jesus as. That's what He was and is about. So many times I have chosen the wrong answer. I have answered in a way that religion and legalism (not Gospel based) would have me answer or I have acted out of own self-interest, but guess what? Jesus would have never answered in that way. More times than not, I think we answer to situations based on our comfort level, pocket book, and traditions that have been passed down. We fail when we do that.
We aren't representing the kingdom of God when we find our answer apart from Jesus.

 

Now, the last thing I want to do is to make us feel like failures in our attempt to be Christ-like. I'm writing this as motivation, as a reminder of what our motives should be. We talk so much about what we should do and search for the answers, when all along the answer has been standing right in front of us...Jesus.
Thank God for His loving-kindness and forgiveness towards us. Now we can step forward and follow in Jesus' footsteps, rather than walking in the opposite direction.
 

1 John 4:7-12 says, "⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us."

 

 Friends, if we know that God is love and that when we love one another, God abides in us, that should give us the motivation and confidence to live our lives in the shadow of who Jesus is. He loved the down and out. He even loved the people who nailed Him to the cross.

Do we have enough faith to turn the other cheek?
Do we have enough faith to give the coat off our backs?
Do we have enough faith to love our enemies?

 Tony Campolo has asked himself and I think we can ask the same question...
"Do we have enough faith to live this radical lifestyle?"

I challenge you to read the red letters of the Bible (Jesus' words) not as a story, but as a lifestyle...as an answer to change the world.

 

 

 Will you join me in following in Jesus' footsteps?

Check out www.redletterchristians.org or read the book Red Letter Revolution by Shane Claiborne & Tony Campolo about the many controversial issues that the church faces today.