| “Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” – Amos 5:15 |
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| Making the HARD CHOICES HATE is a word we are to be very careful how we use it. While we are not to HATE others, there are things we are to HATE, and HATING EVIL is at the top of the list. Recall Proverb 8:13 as it tells us, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate.” Our reverence for God will bring about a resolution for the rejection of evil. A personal example is Job as he is described in Job 1:1 It says, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned/REJECTED evil.” While we HATE evil we LOVE good! GOOD is the opposite of evil. Jesus is known for being GOOD. As we battle the temptation to do evil the Apostle Paul teaches in 1 Thessalonians 5:15 “That no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” As we deal with the evil around us we are to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) With the decision to HATE evil and LOVE good, we are now to ESTABLISH JUSTICE. Injustice is evil. It brings harm. From Proverbs, we learn how vital a relationship with the Lord is. Proverbs 28:5 says, “Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand all.” It is crucial that leaders demand justice is done. In Proverbs 29:4 we read, “The king establishes the land by justice, but he who receives bribes overthrows it.” Life is making choices. We must choose to HATE EVIL and to LOVE GOOD. We must choose to DO justice and to establish JUSTICE. When we make the right choices, God pours out His blessings and will be gracious to us! Verse to DATE the Word on May 15 (5/15) is Amos 5:15. It says, “Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” How does Amos 5:15 challenge how you live, to possibly change how you are living? Continue Strong Loving the GOOD And remember to DATE the Word |