Image from heartofashepherd.com
Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it. Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground! They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate. Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time. Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:6-7)
No one likes to lose something. And as careful as we are, we sometimes misplace keys, phones, purses, pens, etc. And we panic and we seek here and seek there, throwing cushions, pillows, picking up rugs, putting our hands in places where sofas sometimes swallow things. Have you ever lost the Lord? I mean, with the busyness of life and the demands of family and work, it sometimes becomes too easy to seek everything else, and we forget how near and dear the Lord truly is for us. Amos the prophet heard the words, "Seek the Lord and live." In seeking everything else but God, the people of God were lost, not God. And they were wandering down a road that would soon lead to their death. The word from God was to seek God and live. Nothing beats having the Lord in our lives and hearts, nothing. But seeking the Lord means surrendering all to God, and becoming a person of righteousness and justice. This week's gospel lesson is on the rich man seeking eternal life. What he heard from Jesus disappointed him, for he had found riches and wealth, and the thing that eluded him was the assurance of God's love for him and his life, even beyond this life. It may have been that his life up to that point had been all about finding the riches of this world at any cost, and he had not sought justice and compassion in that undertaking. Our job is to seek to be and do good, and avoid evil at all cost.
Seek the Lord and live. Everything else will pale in comparison.
PRAYER: Loving God, may I seek You and Your righteousness for my life. Help me to know what is truly important and I know the fullness of life will be mine. Keep my heart and vision on You and serving You; let me surrender all to You. This I pray in Christ Jesus my Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
