November 22, 2023

Passage Read: Genesis 13-16
Meditation Verses: 13:8-10

Thought

Lot was far better off remaining with Abram, though he didn't know that yet. But when he separated from Abram, he chose the river valley because it looked so good for supporting his flocks. He didn't seem concerned that it was near Sodom, which already had its awful reputation. After he moved to the valley, he gradually moved his tents near to the city, unto he moved into the city. He didn't take his own capture and rescue as a warning to get clear of that place, but settled all the more in it. Did Abram say anything to him? Did he fell a little guilty for sending Lot away? It seems Lot would have been far better off if they had found a different solution to the quarreling of their servants. Perhaps if they both sold significant chunks of their flocks, they could have stayed together and still been materially well off, then Lot never would have ended up in Sodom.

Application

My spiritual well being should always be more important than my material well being. If maintaining my wealth means moving into spiritual danger, I should find another solution. If I want to be a witness to very lost people, I need to be sure I and my family can resist the temptation. But that is different from having too much stuff to remain in a spiritually safe environment. If my goal is to maintain my wealth, my priorities are already out of sorts and I'm dangerously open to other ungodly influences. Lot managed to maintain a righteous soul, being tormented in it while living in Sodom. But in the process, he lost everything else, including all those flocks, his wife, and a clear moral compass for his daughters. He would have been far better off selling everything to remain with Abram.