Amos 1:1–2; 5:14–15, 21–24
There’s a line in Amos that cuts right to the heart of what it means to live faithfully:
“Seek good and not evil, that you may live.”
It’s simple, but not easy. Because so much of life – and honestly, so much of faith – can become about comfort. We look for peace of mind, familiar routines, quiet Sundays, prayers that soothe. Those things matter…deeply. But Amos reminds us that comfort isn’t the same as faithfulness.
Faithfulness is about seeking good, not just feeling good.
To seek good means to look for it, chase after it, nurture it. It’s active, intentional, and sometimes uncomfortable. It means stepping outside the safety of the familiar to do what is right, even when it costs us something.
In Amos’s day, worship had become disconnected from life. People sang the songs and made the offerings, but ignored the injustices outside their doors. God’s response was clear: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
God didn’t reject their worship because it was wrong, but because it was incomplete. It stopped at the temple walls. Faith that stays within the walls of the sanctuary misses its calling. But when faith steps out, when it seeks good in the messy, beautiful world, then it becomes alive.
This week, take a few minutes at the end of each day to pause and ask:
- Where did I seek the good today? Maybe it was through kindness, honesty, advocacy, or simply choosing patience when it would have been easier not to.
- Where did I choose comfort instead of good? Notice without judgment. Awareness is the beginning of change.
- What good might God be inviting me to seek tomorrow?
Write your reflections in a journal or simply hold them in prayer. Over time, these small moments of reflection can begin to shape how you move through the world, turning everyday choices into holy ground.
Because the life God calls us to isn’t found in comfort. It’s found in the seeking. It’s found in the good.
