Tag Archives: Lot

Lot, A Believer Who Never Grew Up

12 Thursday Apr 2012

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 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?  1 Corinthians 3:1-3

 

This verse explains exactly why Lot was in such awful spiritual shape. He never grew in his faith or out of Abraham’s shadow. He only grew to a certain stage because he never pursued God outside Abraham’s faith.  The end result was that Lot was spiritually dwarfed. Lot’s heart continued to pursue things of the world rather than spiritual things.

Lot had a righteous soul but was living in sin and was miserable because of it. He was trying to have the best of two worlds. That prevented him from being able to enjoy either one. He felt all twisted inside and had a continual knot in his stomach that just would not go away, no matter how he tried to get rid of it.

Did you know that Christians can be more miserable that nonbelievers?  You would think that even in their worst state, a Christian would still score less on the misery index.  Why?  It is absolutely impossible to live in two worlds.

I grew up under TVA power lines and heard them constantly buzz from the flow of electricity. I used to wonder why birds never got electrocuted standing on those hot wires all day.  I came up with all sorts of reasons why the birds did not die.  I began to believe if I climbed the tower and grabbed the wire, I too would not be shocked.  How faulty was this thinking?

Before I ever had the opportunity to try out his little experiment, someone told me the truth.  The reason that the birds were not hurt was because they were touching nothing but the cable.  I, on the other hand, could not reach the cable without being connected to something else that was touching the ground. The reason the electricity would kill me is because I would have tried to grab hold of something high in the sky without letting go of his world below.

Lot fought those same temptations. He wanted the high-powered cable in the sky, but he also wanted the life on the ground. Since he could not let go, he was suffering greatly.

What causes a person to continue living in the midst of a situation that is tormenting their very soul?  They have no true peace or joy.  They can’t fully enjoy sin in reality. Did the king of Sodom chain Lot to the city gate?  Was Lot made to live in Sodom or was he free to leave at any time?  Even though Lot was free to leave, he was bound.

A rancher once described how cows wander off and get lost.  “The cow starts nibbling on a tuft of green grass, and when it finishes, it looks ahead to the next tuft of green grass and starts nibbling on that one, and then it nibbles on the tuft of grass right next to the hole in the fence. It then sees another tuft of green grass on the other side of the fence, so it nibbles on that one and then goes on to the next tuft. The next thing you know the cow has nibbled itself into being lost.”

I have never talked to one believer who thought or said, “Today I am going to start wandering away from God and in a few weeks or months I will be so far away I will be unable to connect with Him.”  No, most gradually nibble their way right out of the green pastures God has provided. The means may differ, but the result is the same.

This is a real life story to illustrate how quickly things can get mixed up when we go the wrong way.   A woman attended a large funeral at a church one afternoon.  Since she had appointments to make later in the day, she decided not to join the procession to the cemetery, but to just go her separate way after the funeral. After the service she drove out of the parking lot as planned. However, as she reached the street, the officer directing traffic slapped a sticker on her car and instructed her to put on her headlights. Then he signaled her to fall into line with the other cars going to the cemetery. She rolled down her window to explain that she wanted to go in the opposite direction, but he had already moved on to the car behind her. It was too late. She was stuck.

Feeling awkward, she had no choice but to follow the long line of cars winding its way to the cemetery. Along the route, she noticed the entrance to a supermarket parking lot. She suddenly had a clever idea, she thought, then she acted upon it. With resolve, she turned into the driveway to pull herself out of the string of cars. At last, she assumed, she was free and could proceed to her appointments. But to her horror, the entire procession behind her followed her into the supermarket parking lot! It took half an hour and two policemen to straighten out the confusion. Furthermore, she missed all of her appointments because of the delay.

Sometimes, for seemingly innocent reasons, we allow ourselves to be forced into following the crowd. When that happens, we must force ourselves to break away from the wrong direction we are going, and proceed on to our God-appointed direction.  Even though we are believers, unless you and I take appropriate action we all will be drawn into the world’s gravitational pull. The world wants us to go with its flow, which can often seem so reasonable and logical to the natural mind, but we must only flow with the Holy Spirit if we are to live a victorious, fruitful life.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

Being Tormented Day After Day

11 Wednesday Apr 2012

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I thought about leaving my man Lot alone and move on to another issue about Abraham.  But in actuality, Lot is like most believers I know.  He lived more in the world than he did in the spirit.  In the end, his fence riding cost him everything. Listen to what the New Testament reveals about him.

 

7 and if He (God) rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds, 2 Peter 2:7-8

 

I am not saying Lot had his act so together that we should follow his example in living for the Lord. Everything that we know about Lot speaks of the fact that he cared only for himself. He took the opportunity to get the best from his uncle Abraham, who had been like a father to him. He put his family in jeopardy in order to be in a place where he could achieve financial and political power. In addition, Lot did not internalize God’s law or build his own altars to worship God.  Therefore, he was certainly not able to declare God’s truth to others, including his closest family members.

The only sense in which Lot was righteous was in that fact that he had, at some point in his past, established a relationship with God. He had placed his faith in God as the truth-teller, the creator of the universe, and the only one who could forgive him of his sins. He was what we would call today, a Christian. Lot was like many Christians today. He was on his way to heaven, but he was making the most out of fleshly situations while he was here on earth.

Lot’s story reminds me of “rocket man“. His story is below.

The Arizona highway patrol were mystified when they came upon a pile of smoldering wreckage embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. The metal debris resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it turned out to be the vaporized remains of an automobile. The make of the vehicle was unidentifiable at the scene.  The folks in the lab finally figured out what it was and pieced together the events that led up to its demise.  It seems that a former Air Force sergeant had somehow got hold of a Jet-Assisted Take-Off unit. JATO units are solid-fuel rockets used to give heavy military transport airplanes an extra push for takeoff from short airfields. The sergeant took the JATO unit into the Arizona desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. He attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, accelerated to a high-speed, and fired off the rocket. The facts, as best as could be determined, are as follows:  The operator was driving a 1967 Chevy Impala. He ignited the JATO unit approximately 3.9 miles from the crash site. This was established by the location of a prominently scorched and melted strip of asphalt. The vehicle quickly reached a speed of between 250 and 300 miles per hour and continued at that speed, under full power, for an additional twenty to twenty-five seconds. The soon-to-be pilot experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners.  The Chevy remained on the straight highway for approximately 2.6 miles (15 to 20 seconds) before the driver applied the brakes, completely melting them, blowing the tires, and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface. The vehicle then became airborne for an additional 1.3 miles, impacted the cliff face at a height of 125 feet, and left a blackened crater three feet deep in the rock.  Most of the diver’s remains were not recovered; however, small fragments of bone, teeth, and hair were extracted from the crater. Fingernail and bone shards were removed from a piece of debris believed to be a portion of the steering wheel.

There are consequences to our actions.  If you ignore the consequences of strapping JATO’s on your back you will have a thrilling ride for about 20 seconds, but understand the rock wall is coming. Sin is a blast for a while but the consequences of such actions will impact your life and of those closest to you.

Understand, when anyone actively disobeys God’s convictions and disciplines, they are a ready target for all the devil’s traps and snares.  These are merely the consequences of living out and away from God’s will.  God’s children should not have to be dragged out of Sodom at the last moment from sin and disobedience.

We will look deeper into Lot’s life again tomorrow.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

When God Gives Us Our Defining Moment

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

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Often when we are separated from our family, mentor, leader, or close friend our true character is defined.  Just like Abraham and Lot had to eventually separate, so all God’s children must learn to stand alone. When we break away and stand alone, we stand on our own convictions, standards, and promises.  When Lot and his family moved away, it became their defining moment.

This moment also further defined Abraham.  He did something very unselfish by giving Lot the best land, which had been promised to him. Abraham should have never been in this position of having to sacrifice God’s promise, but in character, Abraham offered Lot the best of the land. The only problem was Sodom and Gomorrah were part of the land.

There are three scriptures that summarize Lot’s life defining moment.

  • 13:10 lifted up his eyes toward Sodom
  • 13:12 pitched his tent toward Sodom
  • 19:1 sitting in the gate (living there)

I can picture Lot and his family creeping closer and closer to Sodom.  At first they kept their distance.  The day came when they moved right into town!

It would be easy to say “well if Lot had never left Abraham he would not have gotten mixed up in Sodom”.  This was not necessarily true. For anyone to fall away physically they must fall away in their heart first.  Our hearts actually define us long before we are given our defining moment. Falling away from the things of God is more than an event that happens.  It is a condition of the heart before it becomes an event.

Gen. 13:10 says that Lot chose Sodom because it reminded him of the land of Egypt. 

Lot asked Abraham if it was a good place to raise cattle, but he should have asked if it was a good place to raise kids!  Unlike Abraham, Lot wasn’t concerned about the generations to follow. Lot was interested in “making money”, but not “growing spiritually”.  He chose badly because he only saw the world and flesh.

Somewhere in Lot’s journey he became worldly in his desires.  Sodom was a very worldly city full sexual promiscuity. He obviously knew of it’s reputation.  As a whole, it reminded him of what he had experienced in Egypt and he liked it.

Jesus pointedly wanted us to “remember Lot’s wife.”  She was worldly too. By looking back longingly at what God had saved her from, she revealed for all generations what was in her heart. Even if she didn’t practice a promiscuous lifestyle, she was very comfortable around it.  When it was all blown away by the hand of God, she longed for it because Sodom was still in her heart.

Up until this point, Lot had all the possessions just like his uncle Abraham.  But he had never built his own altar and discovered the relationship that comes from worshiping the Lord.  When it was all said and done, it was Abraham’s altar, worship, and intercession that kept Lot and his family alive. Even though Lot had hung around the altar of his uncle and had seen the benefits, he never followed hard after God himself.  The truth is no one can hang around someone else’s spiritual life and be fulfilled.  True fulfillment comes via “asking, seeking and knocking” yourself.

Sooner or later you have got to develop that personal, intimate, one on one, daily relationship with God. If you never learn to “feed yourself” you will eventually starve to death spiritually.  How healthy would you be if you only ate one or two meals a week and at those meals you ate only baby food someone else gave you?

Understand God always allows us to choose and then own our decisions.  God allowed Lot to choose and He will allow you to choose.  God allows us to choose our own path, but He doesn’t allow us to choose the destination. God will allow us to choose anything we want, except for the consequences.  We can’t choose those! As a matter of fact, we have to live with the consequences of our choices. Decisions may seem small at the time, but we never know where those roads will lead.  The big lie we tell ourselves in self-delusion is “oh, this will not harm me and will not matter. I will be ok.”

The day Lot chose Sodom, his life was changed forever along with his family. Ultimately Lot wrecked his family’s future. After barely escaping destruction, Lot and his two girls ended up living in a cave.  Sadly, he chose once again to get drunk with the help of his girls.  In this drunken state he committed incest with both of his daughters.  The result of those relations was his daughters gave birth to leaders of enemy nations (Ammonites/Moabites) which would plague Israel for years to come.  The power of a single decision!  I am sure Lot started out in life wanting to be a blessing to his uncle who helped him so many times after his father died. Instead, he became a curse to all God was doing in Abraham’s life.  When God gave Lot his defining moment he wasn’t able to stand alone.

I don’t want to end on a bummer. There are numerous examples of men and women of God who prospered and became blessings when God gave them their defining moment. Are you ready to have a defining moment?

 

Blessings,

Pastor

A “Lot” of Compromise

09 Monday Apr 2012

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Lot was an example of a “believer” following another believer.  For his entire life he had been following Abraham’s faith, worshiping at Abraham’s altar, and witnessing Abraham’s faith tested.  Lot had been maintaining Abraham’s convictions and following his example until he was given a choice to live differently.  It was only after he separated himself from his mentor that we really got to see what kind of faith, principles and convictions he made in his life.  Lot kept moving closer and closer to Sodom.

 

12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD.  Genesis 13:12-13

 

Every believer will eventually walk out their Christian life according to their own personal convictions. You can follow a parent, teacher, pastor, or loved one for a period of time, but eventually the day will come when you will have to follow your own personal convictions.  In these moments your real faith, principles, and convictions are revealed to yourself and everyone else around.  This is why you will be judged according to your own decisions, not according to some other spiritual leader.

Back several years ago when I was in youth work, a survey was done to determine what was happening to the youth of Christian homes.  This was done across denominational lines.  The “falling away” rate of children raised in Christian homes was extremely high.  I believe it was around 70-80%. Similar surveys have been conducted since.   The question was why were so many Christian young people deserting the faith?  It was discovered that these kids, although raised in Christian environments (they went to church regularly and participated in church youth activities, etc) were never taught to stand alone.  It was then that the youth ministry in which I worked determined to produce kids who could stand alone in college, work, and in adult type relationships.  We determined to teach them to stand alone and develop their own convictions before they faced those larger temptations.

Lot shows us the necessity of developing our own faith and belief system.  Unfortunately, Lot and his family have become examples of “what not to do.” Tomorrow we will discover some of the mistakes he made.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

Abrabam and the Consequences of Compromise

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

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In a time of famine Abraham chose to go down to Egypt. He suggested his wife Sarah act like his sister so that he would not be harmed by Pharoah. Abraham’s vagabond days of being sustained by the mercies of God ended abruptly as he turned to Egypt as a source.  He had a full belly but a bankrupt heart!

Remember this was the same man who walked away from his home and family and vowed never to return.  This same man faced new enemies everyday in Canaan and never flinched or backed down.  In those days he walked in obedience to the known will of God. But now that Abraham had succumbed to fear and entered Egypt, he was out of God’s will.  He no longer walked in obedience and anointing.

When we walk away from the known will of God we forfeit God’s protective hedge of protection. Abraham walked out of Canaan, his fellowship with God, away from the tent and the altar.

The outcome of Abraham’s disobedience was that Sarah was put into a situation of real danger. The king claimed her for his harem, and the lie Abraham told opened that door. Abraham was trying to protect himself, but in protecting himself he exposed Sarah to indecency and danger.

Not only was Sarah endangered, but so was Lot. Abraham’s nephew went down to Egypt with him. Later on when the allurements and enticements of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah cast their spell over Lot, we are told that he saw Sodom as though it were the land of Egypt. (See Genesis 13:10) This lust for comfort and worldly glory was enhanced during this stay in Egypt. Abraham and Sarah quickly got over Egypt but Lot and his family never recovered from the worldly attachments they discovered in Egypt.

Egypt ultimately made Abraham very rich. You say, “What’s wrong with riches?  They are not bad, but a blessing?” Yes they can be a blessing unless they come prematurely from a wrong source before we are ready to handle them. Jesus taught us the difference between “owning things” and “things owning us”. (See Mark 4:19).  Jesus taught it was the “delighting in riches” that choked the Word in a person.

In Egypt Abraham was given sheep, oxen, menservants, maidservants, donkeys, and camels. This was the wealth of the oriental world. But when he came back into the Promised Land, the first thing we heard was the strife between Abraham’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen over the riches they received in Egypt.  Abraham could deal with the riches, Lot could not. In addition, Abraham willing offered up the Promised Land to Lot. It was promised to him, not Lot. Wow!

Furthermore, we are told Abraham and Sarah were given maidservants, one of whom was named Hagar. Through Hagar Abraham later conceived Ishmael. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and being the forefather of Muhammad. The price of living in Egypt was extremely high and is still being paid today.

Abraham was called to be a blessing, but when he got into Egypt, he became a curse instead!

“The Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.”

A Christian out of fellowship with Christ is of no help to the lost people around him. Instead, he is actually a hindrance. His life of hypocrisy and weakness is a stumbling block and a plague upon the hearts of those who are watching him.

I end with this dramatic scene. Here was God’s man Abraham standing before a pagan king who had better morals than he. Listen as Abraham was publicly rebuked for his folly.

 

Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.”  (Genesis 12:18-19)

 

There is nothing more degrading for a Christian than to neglect God’s warning and afterward get rebuked by the world. God would always rather correct His children in private first.  It is never God’s heart to make a public display of our disobedience.  He loves His children too much to desire this type of display.

 

Blessings,

Pastor