Day 263 - Joel 1 - Amos 9 (Hate Evil, Love Good)
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"Seek good and not evil,
That you may live;
So the LORD God of hosts will be with you,
As you have spoken.
Hate evil, love good..." (Amos 5:14-15a)
In all nine chapters of the book of Amos, almost all pertained to God's pronouncements of judgments on the northern kingdom of Israel except in chapter 5 where the prophet calls the people to repentance and righteous living providing a glimmer of hope to an otherwise dark message of condemnation upon the people.
The nation was at that time experiencing an unparalleled time of success but rather than seeking out opportunities to do good, the people embraced their arrogance, idolatry, self-righteousness, and materialism.
In our text above, Amos pleads with the people to "seek good and not evil" so that they may live and not die from God's wrath and so that God would once again dwell with them. Then Amos declares what is my favorite prayer phrase: "hate evil, love good." I especially love saying that phrase whenever I pray with my wife and children because I want them to adopt it as their utmost goal in life as well.
But how does one practically hate evil and love good? For me personally, I apply it in my life by carefully choosing what I look at with my eyes and not allow my feet to bring me to a place where God would not be pleased with me. I try to say a prayer whenever I hear or read about a gross evil such as abortion or lewdness and ask God to give me a righteous hatred for the sin.
With regards to loving good, I choose to dedicate my time and resources to things that will last forever such as reading God's Word and sharing it, serving at my home church, practicing hospitality both towards friends and family and first-time aquaintances, and even returning to my native country in order to serve the Lord in full-time ministry.
How about you? How can you practice "hating evil and loving good"? If you are not sure, ask God to help you and He will.
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