Reading:

Joshua 7:1,10-12,22-26

Might my sin be the cause of defeat for my congregation?

Might my sin bring dire consequences for my family?

How are those kinds of cause and effect at all just?

How am I to know when it’s time to quit pleading with God?

Is there some accursed thing I’m tolerating or defending or justifying or protecting?

What must I do to reverse my defeats and experience new victories in their place?

Am I discerning in matters of holiness, mercy, and justice in my home church?

Reading:

Amos 7:7-17

Can I see what God wants me to see?

What is God’s plumbline in my life?

Must God lay waste and leave desolate any of my special places?

What will I do should my word become unwelcome among my people?

Do I belong to a prophet-welcoming church?

Am I open and submissive to God’s calling?

(The text is for Christian Light Publications’ July 3 Sunday School lesson: Hear the Word of the Lord.)