Carnality of Lot

Genesis 19. There is a great contrast in the characters of Abraham and Lot. These two men are representative of the spiritual and worldly (carnal) believer. Abraham was a friend of God. Lot was a friend of the world. Abraham was a pilgrim and stranger, only passing through this world, but Lot had gradually abandoned his tent and settled down in Sodom. Instead of keeping his eyes on the heavenly city (Heb.11:10, 14-16), Lot looked toward Sodom and began to walk by sight (Gen.13:10-11). Then he moved his tent near Sodom (Gen.13:12), and finally he moved into Sodom (Gen.14:12). Now if Lot had of gone to Sodom because God had directed him to do so, his being there would have fulfilled divine purposes. After all, God put Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, and Esther in Persia, and their presence turned out to be a blessing. Worldliness is not a matter of physical geography but of the attitude of the heart ( 1 John 2:15-17). Lot's heart was in Sodom long before his body arrived there. Lot was conformed to the world (Rom.12:2). And in the end, all that he lived for went up in smoke and was buried somewhere in the area around the Dead Sea today.

Lot is a warning to all believers today not to love the world, become friendly with the world, or be stained by the world (James 1:27), because the day of reckoning finally comes. Because of his carnal lifestyle, Lot had no godly influence on anyone. Remember, if God could have found just ten righteous people in Sodom, He would have spared the city. But Lot had not won anyone to the Lord outside of his family. Lot is so worldly it's hard to even tell if he himself was saved. Had it not been for the New Testament, we would have never known that Lot was even a saved man. When he vanishes from the O.T. Scriptures, we see him drunk in a cave committing incest with his daughters. But the N.T. calls him "righteous Lot" in 2 Peter 2:7-8. How is your testimony? Where does your heart long for? This world or that heavenly city? Are you being conformed to the image of Christ or are you being conformed to this world? Meditate on these things today.

And one final note to think about. Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Because of homosexuality? Wrong. Wrong? Yes, wrong answer. It goes deeper than that. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because the city and city government condoned, legalized and even promoted (in your face) homosexuality. Homosexuality is a sin and always has been and always will be. In fact Billy Graham once said that if homosexuality was okay, then God would have to raise up Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize. But what I want you to see and think about is this fact that this wicked city legalized and promoted this gross sin. And then I think about our own country with the push for "same sex marriages". I cringe when I think about the day when our government will legalize and promote this. God is the same today, yesterday and forever. God does not change. Pray for our nation. The Christian remnant in this nation is the only dam holding back the judgment of God. Let's intercede on her behalf. Pray for revival!