Tag: seek

Seek Good Not Evil

Seek Good Not Evil

The Bible exhorts us to seek good and not evil on a daily basis.  We’re encouraged to try to live at peace with others.  Let’s have a look at some of those verses:

Do you want to live and enjoy a long life?  13 Then don’t say cruel things and don’t tell lies.  14 Do good instead of evil and try to live at peace.  15 If you obey the Lord, he will watch over you and answer your prayers.  (Ps 34:12-15 CEV)

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.  (Isa 1:16-17 ESV) 

Seek good, not evil, that you may live.  Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.  (Amos 5:14 NIV)

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.  (Mic 6:8 NLT)

Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  (Mt 6:33 CEB)

There is a promise to us that if we seek good and not evil, and be at peace with others, we will enjoy a long life.  Not only that, but the Lord says that He will be with us.  Another promise is that the Lord will watch over us and answer our prayers.  Wow!  Those are wonderful promises that God is giving us and notice that these are very desirable blessings.

We are also exhorted to be humble.  In other words, we should treat others with the respect that they deserve since all human beings have been made in the image of God.

Desire to see God’s kingdom and righteousness established, and when we do, every other blessing that we could ever desire will be given to us.  So today’s lesson is:  Live an upright and holy life, and reap the blessings that Jesus Christ purchased for everyone who would believe in Him.  Glory to God!

Reject Anger

Reject Anger

As followers of the Lord Jesus, we have to make a decision to reject anger as an option in our dealings with one another and with the Lord.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.  For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.  (Ps 37:8-9 NKJV)

Anger and wrath only cause harm and heartaches.  But all who wait upon the salvation of the Lord will inherit the earth. 

He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly.  (Pro 14:29 NKJV)

A person who hardly ever gets angry is called understanding by the Word of God.

You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; 20 for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.  (Jas 1:19-20 NASB)

Our human anger doesn’t bring about the righteousness of God, so it is a weapon that we need to abandon.  A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is to his credit that he ignores an offence.  (Pro 19:11 ISV)

In every way, it is best to seek the Lord and to rely upon Him to lead us and guide us in our responses and our reactions. Glory to God.

Promote Peace

Promote Peace

As disciples of Christ we’re called to promote peace in the world.  Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace.  (Isa 9:6)

What does it mean to “promote” peace?  As servants of the Living God, we are directed to:

  • Encourage and support,
  • Sponsor and further,
  • Advertise,
  • Elevate and advance peace in every circumstance and situation.

Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.  (Pro 12:20 NIV)

If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.  (Lk 10:6 NIV)

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  (Ps 34:14)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Mt 5:9)

Just from this small selection of Bible passages we learn that:

  • Promoting peace brings joy—not only to us but to everyone involved;
  • People who sponsor peace will have peace rest upon them;
  • We should do good by seeking and pursuing peace; and
  • All peacemakers are blessed children of God.  Hallelujah!

An invitation to promote peace is given to every believer in God’s Kingdom.  Let us joyfully respond to this appeal from the heart of God.

Ask, Seek, Knock

Ask, Seek, Knock

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  (Lk 11:9)

  • This verse of the Bible tells us to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK—with persistence. In the original language the implication is to ask and to keep on asking, to seek and to keep on seeking, and to knock and to keep on knocking!  And when you ask, it will be given to you.  When you seek, you’ll find.   When you knock, it will be opened to you.  This is not only a representation of the goodness and mercy of God, but also a model of persistence in faith as well as tenacity in believing that God is good and generous, and that He will answer prayers.

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  (Mk 11:24)

  • The message to us in this verse is that our faith in God and in the fact that He cannot lie gives us the spiritual, anointed obstinacy to patiently wait—in hope and constant expectation—that our prayers have already been answered.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  (Joh 15:7)

  • As we memorize the Word of God, honor it, and obey it lovingly and joyfully, the Lord tells us in this verse that we may ask for our hearts’ desires and they shall be done for us. What a blessing!

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.  (1 Joh 3:22)

  • This Scripture reminds us that as we please the Lord with our lives and actions by doing what is beautiful to Him, the Lord gives us whatever we ask from Him.

Here are a couple more faith-building verses from God’s Word upon which to meditate:

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.  (Ps 84:11b)

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  (Joh 14:13)

When we read the Bible with a heart full of love and connection to God, the promises that He has given to us shine like the genuine treasures that they are!  So, keep on asking, seeking and knocking, and our loving Father God will look upon our faith and trust in Him with favor.  Have a blessed day.