Scripture
Lot was afraid to stay on in Zoar. So he took his two daughters and moved to a cave in the hill country.
~Genesis 19:30, CEV
Quote
What a tragedy to spend your life getting to the top of the ladder and then discovering; it is propped against the wrong wall.
~Thomas Merton
At one time Lot was a rich man. When Lot was traveling with uncle Abram, he did very well. He owed herds of sheep, goats, cattle and he had many slaves. He was not as wealthy as uncle Abram but he was a rich man nevertheless. Due to the increased wealth and the size of their herds, Abraham and Lot parted ways. Abraham being the so magnanimous, gave Lot first choice in the land. Lot chose the well watered, green and lush Jordan valley. I’ve been there and trust me, the Jordan valley is a paradise compared to the barren hills of Judah. It didn’t take Lot long to take the best land for himself but he pitched in tent toward Sodom and this compromise was his second mistake. Nomads like Abraham lived in tents in the open country, never in houses in cities but Lot broke with tradition and he kept moving closer and closer to Sodom until he did away with his tent and bought a house in town. This was his third mistake. He moved into a den of iniquity. Although he was vexed by the immorality of Sodom, he did not separate himself from it. When destruction came, Lot was saved by Abraham’s intercession and that of the Lord’s angels who basically drug him out of the city. Lot’s wife could not bare the thought of leaving their expensive town house and she went back. In so doing, she got to close to the destruction and she petrified. Lot was saved along with his two daughters but only with the clothes on their back. He was no longer a rich man. He would never again be wealthy. He went from a castle to a cave. Lot is a type of carnal Christian: one who is saved only from the destruction but loses everything in the process.
Lot was a loser and he had no one to blame but himself. A certain man came up in conversation the other day and the question was presented to me: “How come this man is so bitter, so negative, so critical of everyone and everything?” I said, “Because he is unhappy. Even though he has more [possessions] than most, he doesn’t have what he wants and he has come to an age and realization that he is never going to have it.” We have to be careful about using the term “loser” but it does aptly describe some people like Lot. What good is it if a man gains the whole world but loses his own soul. Money is not going to satisfy nor will it last. You may be like Lot who was quick to take the best for himself without regard for others but in the end, you will pay dearly. Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” We are all born with a vacuum that only Jesus can fill: nothing else will satisfy–drugs will not do it, neither will money or fame. What the world needs is Jesus. Most of us know what we want but we are not in touch with what we need. As Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father forgive their ignorance, they do not know what they are doing.” Nothing has changed–we are still ignorant.
No extra to speak of. I am enjoying this warm weather which I expect to end soon. Still having a hard time with the 2019 thing. I use to get really depressed after Christmas but the trip to Pigeon Forge extended Christmas and now I’m too busy to get depressed. Headed to HH for an angiogram procedure today. Pray for my good friend Jimmy Lennox as he undergoes the procedure.