Empty Worship
“They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed...” Amos 2:6–7 (NIV)
This part of Amos hits hard. It’s not just calling out the surrounding nations, but God’s own people. Judah had turned away from God’s Word, and Israel was totally disrespecting His name by taking advantage of the vulnerable, treating the poor like they were worthless, and living like justice didn’t matter.
What’s wild is that these folks hadn’t stopped being religious. They were still showing up to worship, still offering sacrifices, still doing all the "God stuff." But their everyday lives? Completely disconnected from what they claimed to believe. God wasn’t impressed; and honestly, He was heartbroken over it.
It really makes me think. How easy is it to show up at church, raise our hands during the music, even serve or tithe and still have a heart that’s far from God? Amos reminds us that worship isn’t just about what we do in church. It’s about who we are when we leave the building. Yes, even in the parking lot after a jam-packed service.
God called out the people of Israel because their worship wasn’t changing anything. They were ignoring the poor, crushing the vulnerable, and basically saying with their actions that people didn’t matter. And God made it crystal clear: if your worship doesn’t impact how you treat others, it’s not real.
I’ve been there. I’ve had seasons where I was just going through the motions, singing songs with my mouth but holding back my heart. And worse, I’ve overlooked people who were hurting because I was too busy or too distracted. That’s not what God wants. He’s not after religious routines. He’s after a heart that looks like His.
So today, I’m asking God to help me check my heart. Am I worshiping Him with my life, or just with my Sundays? Am I loving people the way He does? Am I really paying attention to the needs around me, or am I just hoping someone else will? I don’t want to give God half-hearted worship. I want my life to actually reflect who He is.
Reflection: What would it look like for your worship to overflow into how you treat people this week?
Prayer: God, I don’t want to just “do church.” I want to know You and live like it. Help me to care about what You care about. Open my eyes to the people around me who need kindness, help, and hope. Change my heart so that my worship is real—inside and out. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This part of Amos hits hard. It’s not just calling out the surrounding nations, but God’s own people. Judah had turned away from God’s Word, and Israel was totally disrespecting His name by taking advantage of the vulnerable, treating the poor like they were worthless, and living like justice didn’t matter.
What’s wild is that these folks hadn’t stopped being religious. They were still showing up to worship, still offering sacrifices, still doing all the "God stuff." But their everyday lives? Completely disconnected from what they claimed to believe. God wasn’t impressed; and honestly, He was heartbroken over it.
It really makes me think. How easy is it to show up at church, raise our hands during the music, even serve or tithe and still have a heart that’s far from God? Amos reminds us that worship isn’t just about what we do in church. It’s about who we are when we leave the building. Yes, even in the parking lot after a jam-packed service.
God called out the people of Israel because their worship wasn’t changing anything. They were ignoring the poor, crushing the vulnerable, and basically saying with their actions that people didn’t matter. And God made it crystal clear: if your worship doesn’t impact how you treat others, it’s not real.
I’ve been there. I’ve had seasons where I was just going through the motions, singing songs with my mouth but holding back my heart. And worse, I’ve overlooked people who were hurting because I was too busy or too distracted. That’s not what God wants. He’s not after religious routines. He’s after a heart that looks like His.
So today, I’m asking God to help me check my heart. Am I worshiping Him with my life, or just with my Sundays? Am I loving people the way He does? Am I really paying attention to the needs around me, or am I just hoping someone else will? I don’t want to give God half-hearted worship. I want my life to actually reflect who He is.
Reflection: What would it look like for your worship to overflow into how you treat people this week?
Prayer: God, I don’t want to just “do church.” I want to know You and live like it. Help me to care about what You care about. Open my eyes to the people around me who need kindness, help, and hope. Change my heart so that my worship is real—inside and out. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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