Amos 4:8 "So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord."
God's Persistence
One day when Weston was just a little guy, I reminded him to thank his mother for the lunch he had enjoyed, but he refused to do it. Now, that is a silly thing to get in trouble for, and he sure did get in trouble for it! The "thank you" was not the point; the refusing was. It was a little uneasy for me as a parent, but there was a definite change after that. Weston's will had to be broken.
Having your stubborn will broken is something that is necessary but not fun. We learn in Amos that God matches our stubbornness with His persistence. When we are stubborn in our will, He is persistent in His love to pursue us. In Amos 4, God had allowed His people to go hungry and thirsty because He loved them, while they stubbornly refused to return to Him. The problem was not the idolatry, the immorality, or the oppression; the problem was, they would not return to God.
God was persistent to pursue His people, and He will be persistent to pursue you today. God is not about "beating you over the head"; He is about having you turn to Him! Have you ever known someone that was running from the Lord? All the "coincidences" they notice are really God's persistence!
Your will is the battlefield. Your problem really is not gossip, thanklessness, or a bad attitude; your problem is your will. And the solution to your problem is turning back to God! If I, as a sinful father, would be persistent with Weston about being thankful, don't think that God will do less with His children. Remember that God will match our stubbornness with His persistence.
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