| “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” |
| —Amos 5:14-15 |
As a youngster, I loved to read stories about the early explorers who traveled westward to discover what awaited them in the farthest reaches of the newly formed United States of America. I waited excitedly to read of the perils of the wilderness and the adventures these hearty explorers would encounter.
I particularly enjoyed the stories of the great expedition undertaken by Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark, at the commission of President Thomas Jefferson. Their great journey began in May of 1804 and concluded in September of 1806. During those 28 months they made many significant discoveries that would eventually chart the westward movement of tens of thousands of settlers leaving the relatively peaceful eastern coast cities and striking out into the largely unknown territory to the west.
As any know who live in the western United States, some of the most beautiful country in all the world lies just west of the mighty Mississippi River. To imagine what it was like to explore this territory for the first time is almost mind boggling.
On one occasion, a trapper the expedition came across in one very desolate location was bold enough to ask Captain Lewis, “What are you seeking?”
Clark reportedly responded, “The world and all that is in it.”
I wonder sometimes, as I look around me at a large crowd gathered for some event, or at the mall, or some other place where large numbers of people congregate, what are these people seeking? Everyone seems to be scurrying about looking for something.
The Prophet Amos offered some very wise words when he wrote the thoughts recorded in Amos 5:14-15:
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
If ever there was something worthwhile to seek it would seem as if the “good” might well define such a goal. In an evil world, it is very difficult to consistently seek the “good.” That’s why we must rely on the indwelling Holy Spirit to direct us to the things that are good, to the people who are good, to the rewards that are good, to the tasks that are good, and so forth.
As this new day begins, let us seek what is “good.” If we do, God will give us a great and blessed outpouring of His mercy, grace, and abiding love. We will experience the truest sense of well-being that we can possibly experience. We will know that the Lord God Almighty is with us.
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, March 31, 2017
