Seek Good and Not Evil

   “Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord,
                  the God of hosts, will be with you.” (Amos 5:14)

The Minor Prophets are called that not because what they had to say wasn’t important, but because they are shorter than some of the other prophetic books of the Old Testament. A small cadre of us have been sharing in the study of these books during the past months. In August we will begin again and we will be studying the book of Amos. 

I love Bible study. I enjoy the word study. I think looking at the historical setting is fun. I like the visualizations that are found in many places. And the prophecy of Amos is a good one to study. 

Do you ever hear someone say, “The (nation, world, neighborhood) is coming to pieces. No one cares about anyone any more.”? Guess what? Change the names and places and you have the preaching of the prophet Amos! 

And the words that come through the prophet are appropriate for us today. “Seek good and not evil.” 

There are several other places in that prophecy that are more well known, but I think this statement is important for us. What would it look like if we in the church were to seek good and not evil? 

It’s all very well and good for us to say, “they” are the ones causing the problem. But these words from God through the prophet Amos are good for us. 

My challenge for us at the end of the “summer break” is to think about what it would look like for us to seek good and not evil. And then strive each day to do just that. Hmmm! What will that mean for me today?

                                                  Pastor Nancy