Too Close to Sin

Good Morning! Just a couple of housekeeping items:

• Remember to post your comments on the daily post, not on Wordly Wise. Many are missing the wonderful insights God is revealing.
• It may be fun to post your city and state at the close of your comments. This would allow people in the same area to possibly meet.

I wanted to focus on Lot today. There are some rich lessons to be learned from his experience. Let's review how Lot ended up near, some translations say in, Sodom. We need to look back at Genesis 13. Lot and Abram had decided to part ways. Both were very rich with livestock and the land could not support all the livestock. Also, there was quarreling among the herdsman. Abram allowed Lot to choose first. Lot chose the fertile land in the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. Verse 12 tells us where he settled:

So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.

Scriptures tell us this was before the the wickedness of Sodom. The land was beautiful like the Lord's garden. But Sodom did become wicked. A war broke out. Lot and his family were captured and eventually rescued by Abram. But even after the rescue, Lot went back to Sodom. I have to think something drew him back.

Abraham had some company on day. He brought them in to the dinner table and Sarah fed them. As the guests left, (one of the guests being the Lord. Can you imagine having the Lord as a guest at your table?) tells Abraham that He has seen the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah and that His plan is to destroy the cities. Then Abraham interceded with Lord on behalf of Lot. (18:24-32) He had some strong arguments for the Lord. It is funny to me that neither the Lord or Abraham mentioned Lot's name, however, they both knew why the conversation was taking place. The Lord heard and answered Abraham's pleading and agreed to spare Lot's and his family. I did some research and read that Sodom was about 20 miles from the Oak Grove at Hebron where Abraham lived. He walked a long way to try to convince the Lord to spare the lives of his nephew and family. I wonder if Lot ever knew what Abraham did for him. Basically, Abraham saved Lot twice.

Let's reflect on a few points. When you are too close to sin:

• You are bound to get seduced. Sometimes we like to live right on the edge of sin and flirt with it, maybe even become involved and by living on the edge we still have the option of getting out. The enemy entices us while on the edge, hoping we will cross over and stay a while.
• You become so desperate you would do anything. Lot was willing to give his virgin daughters to the angry townspeople to keep them away from "the visitors."
• God will give you an opportunity to be rescued. The rescue might not look like a "typical" rescue but never-the-less, He will provide a way out.
• It hard to reach out and accept the rescue because the grip of the stronghold of sin is becomes tighter and tighter with each passing day on the edge.(v16)
• When you are are rescued, don't look back. The first time Lot was rescued, he went back "close to sin." In the second rescue, his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Just leave and don't look back. Look toward your freedom.
  

I have camped "too close to sin" and all of these points can truly happen and did. Whether Lot or Lot's family were caught up in the sin of Sodom we will never know. But what we do know, is that he knew of the wickedness, was captured, rescued and then returned. He could have chosen to move. But did not.

What about you? Are you "too close" to the edge of sin? Do you need to be rescued? Do you need to move? Then do it. Cry out to be rescued and when you leave and don't look back.