Saturday Scripture Gold, Genesis 13:10-12

Happy Saturday!

Thank you for joining me today. Each week, I will take a verse (or passage) from the Bible and dig beneath the surface to uncover the precious golden nuggets of truth, wisdom, and knowledge that lie waiting to be discovered. I pray that this will inspire you to do some "digging" of your own into God's scripture!

This week's Bible passage: Genesis 13:10-12

Anyone who has read the Bible is well aware of the many wonderful stories that pertain to living life the way God meant it to be lived. The examples of men and women as recorded in the Bible can provide valuable lessons. For example, from Abraham we can learn the value of faith in God, from Joseph we see the workings of God's providential care, and from Job we learn the importance of patience and faith under trial.

A person that I would like to discuss today is Lot. Lot was the son of Haran, Abraham's brother, who accompanied Abraham from Mesopotamia to Canaan (Genesis 11:27, 31; 12:4; 13:1). The reason I'd like to use him as my subject of today's writing is, we can glean valuable lessons from Lot in the art of decision making and the importance of making proper choices.

We'll first take an introductory look at the life of Lot, and then focus upon a decision he made and how it affected his life.

In the book of Genesis, Lot is introduced to us as the nephew of Abraham who sojourned, or traveled with him (Genesis 12:5; 13:1). He was a man who like his uncle became quite wealthy (Genesis 13:2-5). Because of the combined wealth of Abraham and Lot, they were forced to separate (Genesis 13:6-9). Given the opportunity to choose where he could go. Lot made a choice, which on the surface was a good one (Genesis 13:10-12), but as good as it may have seemed, it resulted in much sorrow and hardship for Lot!

As a result of his choice, Lot suffered war (Genesis 14:11), kidnapping (Genesis14:12), oppression and torment by the citizens of Sodom (2 Peter 2:7-8; Genesis 19:1-11), loss of all his material wealth (Genesis 19:15-16, 24-25), the death of his wife (Genesis 19:17, 26), and the shame of incest with his daughters (Genesis 19:30-36). All these things happened despite the fact that Lot himself was a righteous person (2 Peter 2:7-8). The example of Lot should impress us with the importance of making the proper choices in our lives.

In view of what happened to Lot, we will now consider some of the choices we make that greatly affect our lives, some suggestions on how to make the right decisions, and what to do when we realize that we have made the wrong ones. Consider the following items:

What choices do we make that greatly affect our lives? How about the one that will affect your life more than any other: the choice to follow Jesus! It will determine your place in eternity, will have a bearing on every other choice you make; for as a follower of Christ you will be concerned with doing His will, not your own. Other important choices are: choosing your career. The choice you make can have a lasting effect upon your marriage, family, and your service to God. Even from a worldly viewpoint, your choice is important, for the job market can change drastically as we have all seen!

Choosing your mate is critical because the decision made will to a great extent determine your degree of happiness in this life. It will have a permanent bearing on your children and their emotional well-being! Choosing your friends is important. Having close friends can be a wonderful blessing (Proverbs 17:17), but the wrong friends can be a curse for the righteous (Proverbs 12:26; 1 Corinthians 15:33). Let's not forget choosing where you will live. It was in this choice that Lot made his mistake. It might just be there are some modern-day "Sodoms" and "Gomorrahs"!

How can we more likely make the right choice? We can ask God for wisdom (James 1:5-8). We can also seek advice from others (Proverbs 11:14; 12:15), discuss your alternatives with older, mature Christians, and consult the wisdom found in the Bible (especially in a book like Proverbs). Whatever you do, do it for the Lord's sake (Psalms 37:5-6,23-26; James 4:15).

Thus far, we have seen some great ideas but what should we do when we realize our choice was wrong? We can do what Lot did! Heed the word of God (as in fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah).Do what is right without reservation (remember Lot's wife!)Do what Peter did after he denied Christ. Repent, if there is sin involved in the choice made and resolve to serve the Lord. Do what Paul did after persecuting the church. Accept the forgiveness Jesus provides and determine to live for the Lord the rest of your life to the best of your ability. The wrong thing to do is to continue in the choice because of pride or some other reason (although there are some choices we must live with!)

So in conclusion, the example of Lot should serve to teach us that making the proper decision is very important and to warn us not to make our choices lightly. "Remember Lot" the next time you are faced with an important decision. Seek to make that decision based upon the will of the Lord and not your own. Your eternal destiny (and that of those you love) might rest upon your choice!

As I leave you my dear friends, have you made the most important decision you will ever face? The decision to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not, why not today? (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38).

Until next week...

God bless you,

Rochelle