GENESIS 19 SPEAKS TO US!

Whew! Genesis 19 is not one of the enjoyable chapters of our Bible!

God sends two angels to visit Lot in Sodom. Lot takes them into his home and despicable things happen that evening. They were apparently sent to evaluate the situation and quickly determine that this city (and its twin city, Gomorrah) must be destroyed.

The chapter is fraught with a sense of urgency! At daybreak the next morning you get the sense that these two angels are pushing Lot and his family out of the city! Their words: "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere on the plain. Flee to the mountains or you will be wiped away!" [v.17]

As they are escaping, the destruction begins as "...the LORD rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities - and also the vegetation in the land." [vs.24-25]

But, as a result of Abraham's prayers, Lot (and his immediate family) were rescued from this devastation!

Not much more is said about this event in scripture, however, the prophet Ezekiel brings it up in his book.

Ezekiel 16:49 (NIV)

"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen."

Margaret Feinberg writes about this: [the organic God, pp.144-5]

As a contributing member of an arrogant culture, whose pride reaches international proportions, I make my donations in small ways every day - through self-righteous and better-than-you attitudes, insensitive, self-serving opinions, and nationalistic tendencies and beliefs. My pride puts itself on display in the ways I shop, dress, eat, and talk, and is only compounded by the fact that I live in an over-fed prosperous society. While thousands are quietly starving, I'm busy buying a 12-pack of paper towells at Costco. Such bounty reveals that real poverty comes from both lack of access as well as abundance of excess. The result is an unconcerned apathetic response to those in need which almost reads like an equation:

Arrogant + Overfed = Unconcerned

Now that doesn't mean I'm not quick to respond to need - especially my own - but when it doesn't concern me, involve me, or somehow help me, there's a tendency to get only minimally involved, or worse, not get involved at all.  

She sort of nails it - don't you think? Uncomfortably so. I don't want this to be true of me. I want to genuinely care! I want to share. I want to be generous.

But there's also the reality of compassion fatigue! I can't help everybody in the world! The needs are constant and overwhelming!

Where is the balance?

Kind and Gracious God,

Through the convincing and convicting work of Your Holy Spirit - GUIDE ME! Please!

Father, forgive me for a pattern of apathy and blaming others.

O God! Help me not to be arrogant, overfed and unconcerned! Don't give up on me!

To the contrary, help me to be humble, just and compassionate - EVERY DAY!

Help me to constantly remember that "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." [Luke 12:48].

This is my urgent prayer, and I lift it to You sincerely in Jesus' name. Amen.

GIVE GOD A NOD WHEN MAKING BIG DECISIONS

This is the reporting of an event that took place over four thousand years ago.  God called a man named Abram to leave where he was and go to a new land named Canaan that God planned to give to him and all his family (even though Abram didn't have a family yet).  😂  God's stories are always SO unpredictable. 

When Abram left on his journey of obedience, he took with him his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot.  They had some interesting things happen to them during their adventurous travels through the ancient near east.  But God was with them and enriched them so that both men became prosperous with livestock, silver and gold.  

But, as time passed, their number of flocks and herds and menservants and maidservants became quite large.  Quarrels broke out between their herdsmen and also the Canaanites and Perizzites also living off the land.  

Abram, being the elder of the two - and also the one God had called - went to Lot and suggested that they split up due to the size of their entourage.  Being a man who lived to please God, Abram gave Lot the opportunity to choose where he would go.  Abram simply said, "If you go to the left, I'll go to the right;  if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."  [Genesis 13:9 (NIV)]

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)  So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:  Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.  Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.  [Genesis 13:10-13 (NIV)]

Many of you are familiar with the end of this story.  Lot's choice landed him in an immoral valley where sexual sin became so horrible that God sent a storm of fire and hail to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah!  This happened AFTER Abram had to come and rescue Lot and his family from a coalition of kings that raided the valley and took Lot hostage along with his family!  

When Lot made his initial decision, we find no indication that he consulted God.  He simply chose what looked the best and would make his life the easiest.  His decision turned out to be DISASTROUS!!!!!!

What looks best from a human standpoint may not always be best from a divine perspective!  Doesn't it just make sense - especially if you consider yourself a Christian - to consult God at points of major decision-making?  In other words:  PRAY!  Ask God to direct your steps and give you wisdom.  Say something like:  "Lord, help me to make a decision here that will honor You and increase my sphere of influence for You!" 

You might just save yourself some grief and have a godly impact on some people's lives that would otherwise have gone without the touch of His grace!