Today's Scripture Reading (February 14, 2023): Amos 6
The United States Republican extremist
politician Marjorie Taylor Greene continues to make headlines. Recently, she
made headlines again by complaining about her salary. As a Junior member of
Congress, Greene makes just shy of 175,000/year, which apparently is not enough
to allow her to live in the comfort to which she has become accustomed. She
also believes that her hours are too long. And there is no doubt that the
demands of Congress are hard. Having said that, Greene seems to have
aspirations that reach toward the Presidency of the United States, and if she
thinks the demands of Congress are tough, living in the White House is even
tougher, especially if you want to do the job right.
Whenever someone complains
about their salary, one of the first things I want to do is compare their compensation
to the average person. For Green, who was elected from Georgia, the median
income of the state that elected her is about 62,000/year; that means Greene is
making close to three times what the average person makes in the state where
she was elected. And I wouldn't be surprised if the people who actually voted
for Greene in the last election made even less. Greene thinks she deserves more
than three times what the average person in Georgia makes. I am not convinced
that is true.
The people living in Israel
are complaining that their lives are hard. Shouldn't the people of God have an
easier time in life? But Amos has a simple answer. If you want to know about
how life is lived, I suggest you go to the Sumerian city of Kalneh, a city
founded by Nimrod, the great warrior and the great-grandson of Noah. Go to the
Hittite city of Hamath or the Philistine city of Gath, the home of Goliath and
his brothers. Go to these cities and see how they are living. Do you really
think life is better for them than it is for you?
It is a good question for all
of us, and maybe one that Greene should ask as she looks at how the people
around her live. Greene's problem, and the problem for Israel, is that they
think they deserve better, but none of us do, not really. We are blessed
already, and that was a message that Amos wanted Israel to understand. Kalneh,
Hamath, and Gath were suffering under God's judgment. And if they weren't
careful, Israel could find itself in an even worse position than they were experiencing
right now. They needed to thank God for their blessings rather than complain
that they deserved better. It is something that was true in Israel in the days
of Amos and is true in the world that we live in today.
It is my message for Marjorie
Taylor Greene; count your blessings. And if you are not sure how you are
surviving on your measly wage, consider those people in your state working two
or three jobs to make less than a third of what you are making and do something
to change their situation. Who knows, it might even change how you think about
your life and the money you are making.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Amos 7
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