In the maelstrom of moment-by-moment news, we could find ourselves immersed alongside the world that wonders, “What is happening?” I think of Luke 21:23 these days: “There will be great distress upon the land and men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world.” What is our role as His people during these moments? Without hesitation, it is Pivotal. Essential. Life-saving.
Today, as is my habit, I went into the living Word to be close to God. His Words left the page and lit my heart: “…It is an evil time. Seek good and not evil so that you may live; And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you…. Hate evil, love good” (Amos 5:13-15). So simple but so impactful if practiced.
Now, how you live is important to everyone you know: family, neighbors, community, and church. As the evidence that His return is near roars across the world and floods global news feeds so quickly, people are stunned. But, for us who are watching, we “straighten up and look up” (Luke 21:28), as Jesus commanded us to do, because we know that our redemption draws near.
Woven throughout the Old Testament are multiple allusions to a woman’s pregnancy in reference to the times of God’s wrath; the same analogy Jesus uses in the New Testament to describe the signs before His return that will increase in size, duration, and frequency. Listen to Isaiah 13:6-8:
“Wail for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore, all hands fall limp. And every man’s heart will melt. They will be terrified. Pains and anguish will take hold of them. They will writhe like a woman in labor.”
For us, who are “eagerly awaiting” (Phil. 3:20), there is a new weight for us to “lean in” as He is doing exactly what He said He would. While we wait, our witness as believers is imperative. Simply, we are instructed to hate what He hates and to love what He does. In this way, we ensure we are salt and light in the ever-decaying and darkening environs of our world.
In closing, as God visits the earth, people are awakening, and whatever means they employed to drown out or to numb are being eclipsed by too many big events. Today, as my time in the Bible ended, the Lord led me to Psalm 83:4, referring to the enemies of Israel:
“Come and let us wipe them out as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
Since October 7, 2023, this vitriol against Israel has been overwhelming. We feel powerless to help, except in one way that might surprise you. In His Word, God instructs us: “Let Jerusalem come to your mind” (Jeremiah 51:50). Let us pray for Israel and find hope, as we are mindful of God’s promised future in the Millennial Kingdom, where true peace and justice will one day reign.
We could all be caught up in too much news intake and begin to resemble a “deer in the headlights,” like so many around us. So let us remember our essential role as End-Time believers: Hate evil and love good. And, think of Israel.
Maranatha!
The post “Hate Evil; Love Good” :: By Hilary Hanlon appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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