OUR GREAT LOT IN LIFE

The other evening I was tired of the silence so I did something I rarely do…I turned on the television. The season opener of Desparate Housewives stared back at me. And there I sat 30 minutes later wondering how I became so engrossed in the ongoing conflict among these women that enter American homes each week.

When the show premiered, I was drawn into the evocative storyline and found myself coming back for more each week. But, after a few months, I started to evaluate how this show meshed with my beliefs. Was it really good for me to introduce more worldly values—sexual escapades, infidelity, manipulation and lies—into my mind than already existed around me?

And the answer was…no. So, I decided to switch the channel and find something more productive to do with my time. As I replaced the time I spent watching shows with no moral value with other morally sound options, I realized how dangerous it is to walk along the edge of the cliff.

When we become Christians, we aren’t removed from this world. But, the Bible warns us not to get caught up in the lies that the world throws at us. The children’s song I learned in Bible school rings true:

“Oh be careful little eyes what you see. Oh be careful little ears what you hear. Oh be careful little feet where you go. For the Father up above is looking down in love.”

The deception begins when we believe that just one step in the wrong direction can’t possibly lead us down the wrong path. After the first step, the next one is easier. And the cycle continues. Most people don’t make an abrupt turn away from God—it’s a slow fade.

Remember the story of Lot—Abraham’s nephew? Abraham and Lot entered the promised land together and worked along side each other for a time. But, when the land they were living in became too small to provide for both of them and their livestock, they decided to part ways.

Abraham gave Lot first choice of the land in front of them. He said he would go the opposite direction of where Lot chose. As Lot looked at the lush green lands and the booming cities below him, he made his first step away from God. He chose the land close to Sodom and Gomorrah—a thriving culture of “sin so flagrant.” (Gen. 18:20)

As Lot lived among this egregious community, he faded into a moral dilemma and found himself right smack in the middle of God’s decision to destroy the two cities. If it weren’t for Abraham intervening and pleading with God to save Lot, he would have had no chance.

God sent two men—angels—to rescue Lot from the impending destruction. And in Genesis 19 is where we see the true mindset of a man who once followed God with abandonment.

--In verse 6 Lot offered his virgin daughters to appease the men who came to have sex with the men God sent to Lot’s home instead of having them commit “such a wicked thing.”

--In verse 16 Lot hesitated as the angels tried to get him to leave the city. He was so caught up in the comforts of his wealth and position it was hard for him to leave.

--In verse 26 Lot’s wife turned back to look longingly at what she left behind and turned into a pillar of salt.

--In verses 30-36 we see the result of Lot’s decisions on his own daughters. Because Lot was afraid of the people of Zoar where he had landed after Sodom, he and his daughters lived in a cave in the mountains. The girls were so desperate for children. Since there were no men around, they plotted to each sleep with Lot in order to get pregnant!

I too have made those choices to give it to my own desires and fulfill my needs in a way the world embraces believing there are no consequences. But, I learned the truth after loosing so much to these destructive choices. No matter how much we love God, certain temptations are especially difficult to resist. And the fade begins with one small step.