Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Excellence”
Our Bible verse for today: “Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord, the God of Hosts will be with you … Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate.” Amos 5:14-15 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “We must actively seek to do good.”
It’s not enough to simply avoid evil – we must actively seek to do good. That’s essentially the message God was giving to the Jews through the Old Testament prophet Amos. “Seek” good and not evil; “Establish” justice … those are action verbs. As the people of God we must actively seek to do good not just to avoid evil.
Edmund Burke was an Irish political philosopher who lived in the 1700s. He once wrote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Unfortunately, that is precisely what many people do – nothing! In the face of evil they turn a blind eye and look the other way. They may not necessarily participate in the evil, but they don’t take any action against it either. That then, allows evil to triumph. That’s essentially what Amos was warning against.
As the people of God we have been called by God to be forces for good in a broken and bleeding world. We are to be the change agents in society. It’s one of the most common themes in the Bible. It’s why Jesus urged us to be salt and light. It’s why Paul told us that we should not get weary in our efforts to do good deeds. It’s why Peter urged his readers to strive to live in an excellent manner.
We must actively seek to do good. Here’s another famous quote on the subject that you might find inspiring:
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
There’s some debate regarding who actually said that first, many people attribute it to the great protestant reformer John Wesley. But who gets the credit for it doesn’t really matter, the truth of the statement is still powerful and 100% Biblical. And, it’s a great rule of thumb for us to live by.
I want to encourage you today to be a force for good in your world. Actively seek not just to avoid evil, but to do good.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 