Seek Good and Not Evil: The Path to Divine Friendship

"Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live." Religion implies two essential truths. First, it demands a specific pursuit (zēteō – to seek diligently). Good and evil both operate in human souls and explain all history. They require a standard of right: the revealed will of Elohim. What accords with His will is good; what disagrees is evil. Some pursue evil for worldly wealth and animal pleasure, while others ask, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" The pursuit of good represents religion's specific effort—goodness in thought, spirit, aim, and habit as embodied in Christ's life. This requires strenuous, persistent, devout, prayerful effort.

Second, seeking good involves the highest benediction: true life itself. Without goodness, you cannot really live; goodness is life. Everlasting goodness yields everlasting life. Moreover, it grants enjoyment of Divine friendship. The Lord God of hosts—the Almighty Creator, Proprietor, and Governor of the universe—promises, "I will walk among you, I will be your God, and ye shall be My people."

Siding with the good means siding with Adonai. If a man seeks the winning side, he must choose the right side. God's way ensures triumph, though it may appear the losing side to worldly eyes. Habit, when enlisted for righteousness, strengthens resistance to vice and facilitates virtue's most arduous performances. Those whose thoughts obey conscience find themselves traveling God's safe roads—the only route guaranteeing safe passage to one's true destination.