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