City Life Starter

Written by PJ Thomas

The Word

^{13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.}

Genesis 14:13-16

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, ¹⁵ for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.

Genesis 13:14-15

¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world.

1 John 2:16

Reflection

Lot followed his uncle Abram when Abram, obeying the Lord’s instruction, left his homeland. As long as Lot was with Abram, he prospered. Soon both Lot and Abram needed more space for their camps, and decided to part ways. Lot looked around and saw Sodom as a place that might help him become more prosperous.  He chose to camp near Sodom despite knowing he would be surrounded by neighbors of dubious character. When the kingdom of Sodom went to war, Lot went with them, and was ultimately captured.

Abram, on the other hand, listened to God before choosing a new location. The Lord spoke to Abram and he was reminded of the Lord’s promise. His final settling place was geographically (and morally) in the opposite direction of Lot, surrounded by neighbors he could trust. These neighbors rallied to his cause to save his nephew, Lot, once he’d been taken captive. Despite not aligning himself with God’s promise, Lot was ultimately saved by Abram.

Application

In some ways Lot’s predicament is the same as you or me. We start off attentive to God’s promises but drift off as we attend to our own desires. This may blind us to the company we keep, and as the saying goes, “bad company corrupts good morals.” I don’t think company gets much worse than Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed for their sin!  And yet, like Lot, our redemption is not far off, despite our bad decisions. So, follow Abram’s example and listen for the Lord’s promise first before you look to your next move. And be thankful that God redeems our mistakes!

Prayer

Father grant me the will to listen and wait for Your promises, then act accordingly. And when I am blinded or stubborn to Your will, please redeem me and lead me back through Your son Jesus Christ. Amen!