SEEK THE LORD AND LIVE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:

“Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again, deserted in her own land, with no one to lift her up.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

“Your city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left; your town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left.”

This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek Me and live; do not seek Bethel, Do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”

“Seek the Lord and live, or He will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it."

Amos 5:1-6

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How can I really discover what life is all about?

It’s a question I think everyone comes to ponder at some time or another as they seek meaning to the lives they live.

I saw a rather funny cartoon once depicting someone climbing a mountain hoping to find some sage at the summit who would tell them the meaning of life. When they reached the top, they only found a note that said the following:

“You put your left foot in, you take your left foot out. You put your left foot in and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.”

Too funny, but life is far more than a little hokey pokey and definitely well beyond a little hanky panky. It’s a serious matter and we only get one shot at it in this world so we had better get it right.

So how can we make sure we are really living life as we should?

We find the answer in the opening verses of the fifth chapter of the Book of Amos as we find the Lord addressing His people. Look again at these verses here:

Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:

“Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again, deserted in her own land, with no one to lift her up.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

“Your city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left; your town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left.”

This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek Me and live; do not seek Bethel, Do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”

“Seek the Lord and live, or He will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it."  Amos 5:1-6

God was saddened and lamented the path His people were on. Sin had taken them off the path of righteousness and led them onto the road to judgment and destruction, a judgment and destruction that would bring ruin and exile. At the heart of their iniquities was their willful and willing worship of false gods and idols in direct disobedience of God’s command to bow down to Him alone.

So what would get them back on the right track? How could the Israelites get back into God’s good graces and live in a way that would please Him?

He tells them what they needed to do and what we need to do as well.

“Seek the Lord and live.”

It really was (and is) as simple as that. For if God’s people, past and present and future, seek Him, they will find Him and if they find Him, then they can be ensured He will always lead them in the right way to live, the way He desires and wills, the way of right and righteous living. This life is a life free from sin because when we seek the Lord and live, we can know we won’t be guided to sin but rather we will leave our transgressions behind for a new and proper life.

Friends, this is the kind of life Jesus lived, the kind of life that everyone who professes themselves as Christian should live. For from His youngest years until His fateful death as a young adult, Jesus was always about His Father’s business. He sought the will of His Father and then carried out that will, all the way to the cross to save us from our sins and give us life, now and forever.

Want to know what life is about and how you should live it?

Live like Jesus who proclaimed Himself to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the only One who can bring us to God the Father (John 14:6).

In other words, seek the Lord and live.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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