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Fire Power: A “Lot” of Fire
By Roger Pryor, Heartland Community Church
In April 2001, a
terrible fishing accident took place on the Bering Sea. The Arctic
Rose, a 92-foot commercial fishing trawler, went down in the frigid
water, along with all 15 crewmen. Strangely, no radio call for help
was sent.
The Arctic Rose was
discovered beneath 428 feet of icy water. For three years, the Coast
Guard investigated the wreckage and discovered that several of the
ship’s doors and hatches were open. It was suggested that some of
the inexperienced crewmen had tied open several doors to let fresh
air into the boat’s fish-processing area. Waves from a rough sea
probably swept into the trawler through the open doors and capsized
the Arctic Rose in less than two minutes. A couple of small doors
sank a 92-foot ship. One bad decision led to a chain reaction
disaster.
There is always a
high cost to a bad decision. We’ve all paid through the nose. It’s
time for true confession—some honesty here. Have you ever signed up
for a too-good-to-be-true opportunity? What about the one-hour
resort property tour that turned into a three-hour guerilla sales
presentation? Or have you agreed to a short phone survey that lasted
an hour in return for a free bobble head of Howard Stern? Have you
ever joined one of those CD mail order music clubs where you paid a
penny for 10 CDs and missed the fine print about $30 in shipping and
handling fees. Don’t you hate the fine print?
Most of us are too
quick to decide something when there is an alluring benefit, and we
don’t consider the real price tag. Some poor decisions cost us in
dollars; others require more substantial withdrawals. But all bad
decisions eventually demand more than the penny we thought we were
spending. That’s why making right decisions is so critical, because
there’s always a price to pay.
Maybe you’re facing
a major decision in your life where a wrong decision will carry a
huge price tag. It may sink your ship. You may get burned. Let’s
look at how to make right decisions by looking at a bad
decision-maker, named Lot.
Lot
was extremely rich, influential, and well connected. His uncle was
Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. Both Lot and Abraham were
“Fortune 500” executives, running major livestock businesses.
Unfortunately, the land couldn’t support both herds. This, in turn,
led to labor unrest and strained relationships. Eventually a major
decision had to be made.
Genesis 13:8-9 says, Then Abraham talked it
over with Lot. "This arguing between our herdsmen has got to stop,"
he said. "After all, we are close relatives! I'll tell you what
we'll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and
we will separate. Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the
Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well
watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful
land of Egypt. Lot chose that land for himself--the Jordan Valley to
the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and
parted company with his uncle Abraham.
Here
are four key principles from this story for making right decisions
God’s way:
1.
Seek wise counsel.
Lot made his decision without talking to God. He didn’t even consult
the older and wiser Uncle “Abe.” He based his decision on an
impulsive glance or look—the land was lush like the Garden of Eden
or Egypt. All he cared about was his livestock and his net worth.
Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving. By the end of the story,
Lot’s temporary benefit ended in long-term regret.
He
failed to read the fine print. Choosing to live in the best of the
land was the worst of decisions. Listen to the comment made in
Genesis 13:10: “This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and
Gomorrah.”
Lot
should have consulted his real estate agent, God, who would have
said: “Location, location, location!” As a result, it cost him
almost everything. He should have downplayed the upside benefits and
played up the downsides of the evil people who lived in the land.
Proverbs 12:15 says, Fools think they need no advice, but the
wise listen to others [and God].
2.
Live the 2:34 principle.
Selfish people rarely seek or listen to wise counsel because they’re
so full of themselves. “To
consider persons and events and situations only in the light of
their effect upon you is to live on the doorstep of hell.” That’s
where Lot lived—in a world of bad decisions and compromise.
He wanted the best for
himself, regardless of what affect it would have on Uncle Abe, his
family and others.
If you
want to make right decisions based on God’s convictions, you need to
live the 2:34 principle. Philippians 2:3-4 says, Don't be
selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble,
thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about
your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they
are doing. Ask yourself:How will my decision benefit others?
3.
Watch the company you keep.
Genesis 13:12-13 says, So while Abraham stayed in the land of
Canaan, Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom, among the cities
of the plain. The people of this area were unusually wicked and
sinned greatly against the LORD. Lot got the best portion of
land, but he also got the red light district of the Middle East.
Listen to the spiritual impact the constant evil influences had on
Lot and his family.
2
Peter 2:7-8 says, “Lot was a good man who was sick of all the
immorality and wickedness around him. Yes, he was a righteous man
who was distressed by the wickedness he saw and heard
day after day.” Obviously, you can’t live among bad influences
and they not affect on your life, attitudes, actions and decisions.
Here’s
one example from Lot’s story. Two angels, appearing in human form,
came to visit Lot in Sodom. Just before bedtime, all the men of
Sodom surrounded Lot’s house.
Genesis 19:5-8
says, They
shouted to Lot, "Where are the men who came to spend the night with
you? Bring them out so we can have sex with them." Lot stepped
outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. "Please, my
brothers," he begged, "don't do such a wicked thing. Look--I have
two virgin daughters. Do with them as you wish, but leave these men
alone, for they are under my protection."
Lot’s
decisions were highly influenced by the people around him; and so
are ours. That’s why the Bible warns us in 1 Cor. 15:33, Do not
be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." Your close
continual association with bad company or a bad environment will
corrupt your good character, make you miserable and short circuit
your decision-making ability.
4.
Take God’s word seriously.
The
angels had come to town to warn Lot and his family to get out of
“Dodge” because God was going to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom
and Gomorra. Lot’s response was unbelievable. In Genesis 19:15-16 it
says, At dawn the next morning the angels
became insistent. "Hurry," they said to Lot. "Take your wife and
your two daughters who are here. Get out of here right now, or you
will be caught in the destruction of the city."
When Lot still
hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of
his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the
city, for the LORD was merciful.
What an fool! He
chose not to take God’s word seriously and act on it.
Why
would Lot hesitate to escape destruction and a life of compromise?
For starters, he would have to own his failure by admitting to a bad
choice. It makes sense in a way. After 20 years of comfort and
prosperity, he would hesitate to leave his livestock, investments,
possessions, house, and land behind. God had to drag Lot’s family
out kicking and screaming because they wouldn’t take His word
seriously.
Once they made it to safety, Genesis 19:24-25 tells
us, Then the LORD rained down fire and
burning sulfur from the heavens on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly
destroyed them…
At
this point, you’d expect Lot’s family to take God’s word seriously.
But Lot’s wife ignored God’s warning not to look back on Sodom’s
destruction. She failed to read the fine print.
Genesis 19:26 adds, “Lot's wife looked back as she
was following along behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Centuries later, Jesus himself would say, Luke 17:32 Remember
what happened to Lot's wife!”
And so should we. That pillar of salt stands as a
monument to all who fail to take God’s word seriously.
Lot was so enchanted by the lush land around Sodom
and Gomorrah, he chose an immediate, temporary benefit that led to
his long-term regret. He based his decision on appearances and
financial gain and was burned. He didn’t read the fine print by
taking God’s word seriously.
You’ll get burned and pay a high price if don’t take
God’s word seriously. What was Lot’s problem? He had a divided
heart. He had one foot in Sodom and one foot in heaven. He wanted
everything the world could offer him and maintain the benefits of a
relationship with God as well. That’s the recipe for a life of
regret.
And so it was for Lot’s two daughters who learned a
divided heart from their father. Remember his two virgin daughters
that he offered to the townspeople? Well, nothing happened that
night, but after they narrowly escaped the fire and brimstone, they
realized there was no offspring to carry on their father’s family
lineage. So, driven by their divided hearts, they got their father
Lot drunk over two nights, had sex with him, and became pregnant.
Their desperate decision to secure immediate benefits resulted in
long-term regret. They forgot to read the fine print. Their incest
led eventually to two people groups or nations who became godless
nations that opposed the people of Israel.
You can’t have a divided heart and make right
decisions—the power to compromise is too great. The New Testament
command in Mark 12:30 says, Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength…
reveals that God is unwilling to tolerate rivals or competition. How
can we love God with all we have if we have a divided devotion?
Lot’s failure teaches us to read the fine print.
Maybe you live in “Sodom,” or perhaps you live there on the weekends
or you struggle with making right decisions because you’ve already
invested too much in the wrong one.
Before you pay what you think will be some small
change for sin or a bad decision, consider the real price of a
divided heart. Read the fine print first. And where you have
compromised, you should immediately—without hesitation—seek God’s
forgiveness and never look back.
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