A very heavy guy and a very thin guy meet up in the local gym. 

  The heavy one looks at the thin one and says, “When I look at you I think there is a famine !”

  The thin guy replies, “When I see you I think you might have caused a famine !”  

  Happily most young people in our country are not even aware what a famine is and have only read about it happening in the Bible if they do.

  We here in the U.S.take for granted that we can always get enough to eat and drink.

  We Christians here in the United States also take for granted that we can always read God's word in the Bible, but perhaps we need to realize what a great privilege it is for us to be able to hear and read God's word in our country.

 There are nations in the world today however where it is not legal to own a Bible or to read it in public.

  In today's first lesson we had the prophet Amos warning the people of Israel that they must change their ways and return to God or they would face God's judgment on their nation.

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Amos 8:11 “Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.”

   

  At the time Amos said these words Jeroboam II was on the throne of Israel.

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   While economically and politically things were looking about as good as they ever had been for that nation, morally things were a mess.

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   Pagan idolatry was taking the place of the people's worship of God.   

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   His warnings were not heeded.

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   Amos was told by the leaders in Israel to “flee away unto the land of Judah and prophesy there, but prophesy no more at Bethel”.

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  They didn't want to hear anything more from Amos about the need to change their ways.

  Shortly after this the Assyrians overran Israel and the people were led into captivity.

   God's word was no longer found in the land.

   Israel lost the word of God, because they did not cherish it.

 

   Do we today in the United States really cherish the word of God?

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   Not many Americans are found in our churches each Sunday to hear God's word. 

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  Not many take the time daily to read it at home (as we know we should).

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  Under the guise of separation of church and state it has been removed from our public schools, even though the main reason the first public schools were started in New England, was the strong feeling that everyone needed to be taught to read, so that they could read the Bible!

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  In the Bible we learn of God's plan of salvation for us, in which He gave his only begotten Son to suffer and die on the cross for our sins so that we might become the adopted sons and daughters of God.

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  That we might have eternal life through His sacrifice on the cross for us.

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  As Christians we need to deeply cherish this blessed word of God, the Bible.

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   We need to do all in our power to make sure that God's word continues to be heard throughout our country, as well as in the rest of the world.

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  We have a duty, as Christians, to do whatever we can as individuals, to work to grow Christ’s Church, to make sure that God's word in the Bible is heard by all the generations that follow us.

 

Let us pray

 

Blessed Lord who hast caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy Holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen