Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs,

Amos 4:1 (NIV) 
1  Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”

On verses 1-3:  While Israel was experiencing great economic prosperity during this time, there was a wide discrepancy between the rich and the poor in Israel.   Here Amos accuses the rich, upper class women, and indirectly their husbands, of oppressing the poor and taking advantage of the needy in order to satisfy their expensive tastes.  Playing off the fact that Samaria, Israel’s capital city, had a lot of lush fields and fattened cattle, Amos calls these women “cows of Bashan” (v1).  This is followed by a promise from God that these upper class women would be cast out of their own city one day, like fish being taken away on hooks (v2-3).

What can we learn from this?  It angers God when the rich take advantage of the poor, or when those who have more materially show no concern for those who have less.  God has no issues with people having wealth, but He watches what we do with our wealth.  Justice is a big theme in the book of Amos.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Amos 2:1-16.  Let’s go!
 
Amos 2:1-8 (NIV) 
1  This is what the LORD says: “For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because he burned, as if to lime, the bones of Edom’s king, 
2  I will send fire upon Moab that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth. Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. ……

On verses 1-8:  Whether it’s treating our neighbors dishonorably like Moab did (v1-3), rejecting the Lord to follow other gods as Judah did (v4-5), abusing the poor (v6-7), committing sexual immorality (v7-8), and ignoring God’s holiness as Israel did (v8), God sees all the ways that we sin against Him.  Nothing is hidden from His view.  Yet what amazes me is that as holy and just as God is, God is equally loving and merciful, so much so that the wrath God feels toward our sin He placed on His own Son instead so that ultimately we could be spared the punishment we deserve for our sin.  God did not turn back His wrath from our sin.  Instead, He directed His wrath against our sin toward His own Son instead, so that we could go free.  It is at the cross where Jesus died that we see all at once the incredible holiness, justice, love and mercy of God.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Peter 3:10-18.  Let’s go!

2 Peter 3:10-14 (NIV) 
10  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11  Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives……

On verses 10-14:  In these verses Peter is talking about “the day of the Lord” (v1)?  The “day of the Lord” is a term found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  It refers to the end times, or more specifically as we see in the New Testament, the time when Jesus will return to earth, physically raise Christians who have died back to life, gather His people, establish His kingdom and issue His final judgment on those who have rejected Him. 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Peter 2:10-22.  Let’s go!

2 Peter 2:10-12 (NIV) 
10  This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 
11  yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 
12  But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
 
On verses 10-12:  In addition to the characteristics of false teachers that we looked at in verse 1-9, the false teachers of Peter’s day had three other harmful tendencies.  First, the false teachers had a tendency to “despise authority” (v10).  They would show no respect for the spiritual authorities that God had placed over them.  “Bold and arrogant”, these false teachers had no qualms about speaking disrespectfully and slanderously about the spiritual authorities around them, including angels. 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Peter 1:12-21.  Let’s go!

2 Peter 1:12-15 (NIV) 
12  So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.
13  I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,
14  because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
15  And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

On verses 12-15:  Why is Peter so set on reminding his readers about these things?  Is it because he has nothing new to say?  No, it’s because in Peter’s mind there is nothing more important for him to do at this late stage of his life than to remind Christians that God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life (v3), that trusting in God’s divine promises is the key to experiencing God’s power and living out God’s destiny for our lives (v4), and that being an effective, fruitful Christian is not just about having faith but about being intentional about growing in Christ-like character (v5-11).