A Bible Verse About Hypocrisy (Amos 5:14)

A Bible verse about hypocrisy:

“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

I grew up in a Christian house, but I resented it. Almost every negative experience that I can remember revolves around the aspect of hypocritical “Christians.”

I still see it today, and I’m pretty sure that’s one of the main reasons that people are turned off from Christianity.

It’s important to remember that people are fallible, but to a certain extent, how can we believe the “soap box preachers” when they turn out to be the greatest hypocrites?

It’s easy to present yourself as a “good Christian” on Easter Sunday. We dress nicely and shake hands. Maybe raise our hands to a powerful hymn. Come Monday, we’re just another human in this fallen world.

Some of the most devout Christians I know spend more time gossiping and judging others than they actually read the Bible. 

They’ll be the first to tell you what you’re doing wrong, and there’s always a justification for their behavior.

I’m not claiming to be perfect; far from it. I say that because it’s true – not just because God appreciates humility.

How does this all relate to today’s verse?

Simple. Seek good.

I want to tell you a little story to emphasize my point. Just so we’re on the same page, this story involves me because I was a part of it. But it’s not about me, so just pretend it happened to anyone.

The other day at work, we were called for a “check welfare” on a patient that was conscious and sitting in the bus stop. The reporting party said that the patient was breathing and awake, but they thought that he needed to be checked on.

We were clearing a different call and we responded to the address, which happened to be across the street from one of our two hospitals in town.

As we drove up, I could see the gentleman sitting on the sidewalk in the bus stop. He had a small paper bag next to him, and I assumed it was a bottle of alcohol.

He seemed like he was in decent condition. As we drove up and parked I rolled down my window to ask if he was ok. I was anticipating that he would say “Yes,” and we’d just head back to the station like so many times before.

Only, he started to cry, and he said, “no.”

I hopped out of the rig and made my way over to him. He said that he was intoxicated, and it was fairly obvious. I had a difficult time understanding what he was saying, but he kept repeating that he was “breaking apart.”

We had just undergone a training at work for our local Crisis Response Team, which is a mental health response team. I discreetly asked a crew member to call the hotline and get the team responding.

In the mean time, I had another crew member go across the street to the hospital and return with a wheel chair. The simple solution would have been to assist the patient into the chair and wheel him across the street. 

Surprisingly, he was adamant that he would not go to that hospital.

As we waited for the Crisis Response Team, I sat down next to our patient and put my hand on his shoulder. 

I can’t explain this call to you.

I’ve been on hundreds of calls that were identical to this one. But this patient touched me in a way that I should feel every time.

Maybe he reminded me of my dad. Maybe I saw a future version of myself in him. Either way, I wasn’t leaving until we helped him.

He told me how the smell of the diesel exhaust from our engine reminded him that he loved the smell of diesel. I do too.

He told me how he was a heavy equipment operator., and how he was now homeless. With tears in his eyes, he said that the first thing he did after becoming homeless was to start drinking again after twenty years of sobriety.

He told me how he’s “not a cat person,” but he has a cat. I asked him what his cat’s name was, to which he replied, “Little Bitch.” I suppose that’s fitting for someone who’s not a cat person.

He told me how he wants to kill himself, and that deepened our connection.

The Crisis Response Team arrived on scene and told me that they wouldn’t be able to do an evaluation on scene because the patient was intoxicated.

Because of the rapport that I had built with the patient, I convinced him to go to the other hospital in town and requested an ambulance to transport him.

Once the ambulance was on scene, I reassured the patient that I would ride in the ambulance with him and transport him to the hospital. My crew would follow behind to pick me up. 

The Crisis Response Team would meet the patient at the hospital to develop a treatment plan which included housing.

During this encounter, the patient thanked me several times. He told me how I had a big heart. He said I was “pretty decent.”

And then, they wheeled him into the emergency room. With any luck, I won’t ever see him again – at least, not in the same capacity.

During our time together, I told him that perhaps God had intertwined our lives to help each other. I know that he has helped me, and I hope that I reciprocated.

The thing is, my job gives me a unique opportunity to do God’s work. I can show love and compassion to those on their worst days.

I don’t always do that, and that’s my fault. After years of treating the same people over and over again for the same problems, I make the excuse that it’s normal to become jaded.

Patients like this remind me that every single one deserves my respect and compassion.

I’m not expecting you all to go to these lengths in order to do good. It could be just reaching out to a coworker that’s struggling. Or checking in on a loved one you haven’t spoken to in awhile.

Every day that you wake up is proof that God isn’t through with you yet. So use that opportunity to do His work.

If you start the day with the expectation that God will give you the opportunity, it will be easier to see when it comes. Make sure that you choose good.

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