Genesis 19:14, Lot’s sons-in-law

“But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.”

So, Lot runs to tell his sons-in-law “hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!”  The young men thought Lot was joking.

There really isn’t anything about the Lord that is a joking matter…

We wouldn’t know it by the culture we live in. It seems the “stock and trade” of most comedians today has something to do with making fun of God, or Jesus, or his followers. They get a big laugh from the crowd in front of them so it seems to pay dividends…because that’s what they value…at any price.

But…as Lot’s sons-in-law found out…the fire and brimstone will always fall, if only metaphorically. I doubt anybody will think that’s funny when it happens. Least of all, you and me.

We are tempted to throw up our hands and say “forget about it” when we’re reminded of our responsibility to faithfully proclaim God’s truth. It’s so easy to believe there’s no point…everybody thinks it’s a joke.

Well, this is not laughing matter.

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 18:23, Abraham bargains with God

“Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

We give Abraham a lot of credit for boldness here. I’m not so sure. Why didn’t Abraham just say “God, my nephew is there…can you save him and his family? The results would have been the same (except for Lot’s wife). Instead, Abraham bargains with God over how many righteous people are necessary to save a city.

But for some reason, Abraham didn’t want to ask about Lot. Maybe he thought he knew the answer. In any case, it was never about the cities. They were toast before this conversation began. Still, God wanted Abraham to understand that He was not capricious. He would not destroy the righteous along with the wicked.

I’m tempted. How many righteous people must God see in America to spare her? A million? A thousand? No matter the number, it’s the wrong question. The real question is…should we expect God to tolerate evil at all?

If that’s the question…America is in trouble. But…not the righteous. Don’t look back!

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 17:5, The Abrahamic Covenant

 ”No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.”

Jamieson tells us that in Eastern countries a change of name is a declaration of some new circumstance in the history, rank, or religion of the individual who bears it.  In dealing with Abraham and Sarai, God was pleased to adapt His procedure to the ideas and customs of the country and age. Instead of Abram, “a high father,” he was to be called Abraham, “father of a multitude of nations“. The name says it all…

Which is basically the Abrahamic Covenant…”father of many nations.”

Which tells me an agreement with God changes us…often in more meaningful ways than a name.

When God agreed to forgive us…how did it change us?

When God agreed to offer us eternal life…how did it change us?

When God agreed to give us His Holy Spirit…how did it change us?

When we have a discussion with God today and we agree on something…are we prepared to be changed?

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 16:2, Abram’s Plan

“The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Ever wonder why The Palestinians hate the Jews…to the degree they would rather annihilate them than live with them? This verse is the answer.

Abram didn’t quite get God’s plan so he devised one of his own. After all…if he was to be the father of many nations he had to have a child. So…if God wouldn’t take care of it Abram would. Ishmael was born.

But this wasn’t God’s plan, It was Abram’s….or more properly, Sarah’s

Ishmael was never part of God’s plan. Ishmael and his descendents were completely left out of the Abrahamic Covenant…which is why they don’t have a homeland today. They were mad then…and they are still mad today. Jealousy and envy have a long shelf-life. In this case…5,000 years!

All the turmoil in the Middle East today could have been avoided if Abram would have trusted God on this point. I would think the Palestinians would be angrier with God or Abraham than with the Jews…but emotions can do funny things.

Think hard about this next time you think you have a better idea than God.

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 15:1, Abram and God

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

Abram was a different man. He had just returned from war and knew how tenuous life could be. If he was like us he would have been asking himself “could I do that again?”

Well, of Course…if God asked him to. But…godly believers fall in battle the same way heathens do.

This is a pretty amazing promise. God didn’t say “I will provide you a shield…he said I am your shield“. Think about this. Anyplace Abram went…God went. If God “IS” his shield Abram never needed to prepare…and, of course, he died at a ripe old age. We would all like to be Abram but we aren’t. Although it seems biblical to pray that God would be the same for as as He was for Abram, for some reason God allows some of us to fall in battle. I don’t know why. I can count at least five times that God truly was my shield during my days in combat. That was the only explanation for my survival. But my best friend…got to heaven before he ever got home to Georgia.

We dwell on this too much. The really great part of God’s promise to Abram was “I will be your great reward”.  This is the part of the promise that really gets my attention. Many combat veterans wish they would have perished in battle. For many dying is the easy part. It’s the ultimate devotion to duty and they live forever in the hearts of their countrymen. I actually hear this sentiment a lot from old, tired veterans who aren’t too enamored with how their lives turned out since their military days. For them a shield may not be that important. Same for believers in spiritual battle. Many of us wouldn’t mind dying in service to our Lord.

But…the promise of reward is the payoff. If God”IS” our reward, once we leave this life we are united with Him. So, this is the question: I know we would like to have both the shield and the reward but…if we had to choose just one, which would you choose? And really…compared to the adulation of a grateful nation…living in the presence of God is a reward beyond comprehension.

Who knows what God will call us to?

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 14:22-23, Abram rescues Lot

“With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’

We have the “Oscars”. We have the “Emmys” we have the “Nobel Prizes“. Our lives are full of adulation heaped one group of people by another group of people. It’s all for the purpose of saying “we have decided you are special“. And, the recipients relish the notoriety.

I don’t need a Nobel Prize. I’d be satisfied with a word of appreciation from my employees. A bonus from my boss would be nice. How often do we look around and claim “nobody appreciates me!” I suspect every mother has made the claim on many occasions after washing clothes, making dinner, etc. and watching her family obliviously watch TV while she does the dishes alone.

Yet, accolades from man only diminish what God has done…and is doing in our lives. I get a promotion and my boss gets credit for recognizing my potential. In the Air Force we always made the claim “nobody get’s promoted on their own“. While this is true, the implication was always that wise senior leaders recognized the talents of junior officers and pulled them along.

I am no longer in the Air Force. Who will take care of me now? Every one of us has that fear. Unemployment? It’s not the classifieds that will help us. Mortgage trouble? It’s not the bank that will help us. The short answer is…it’s the same one who took care of us all along...

OK, really…who made me who I am today?  “My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth”.

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 13:9, Abram and Lot

“If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

How many people have you heard who claim to be “Sons of Lot”? Exactly.

Lot made a decision to take the the well-watered plains and leave the arid desert to Abram. Abram may have regretted making such a generous offer to his nephew…disappointed that Lot made such a self-serving decision. Knowing Abram, he would have chosen the desert anyway. But…that would have been a sacrificial choice.

It works this way. If we provide for our own needs…at the expense of others..we have just told God we can handle things ourselves. If we sacrifice for the welfare of others we are telling God we need him to provide.

It’s a choice we make every day. We get to be Abram…or we get to be Lot.

Live boldly out there today…