The Consequences of Greed: Lot’s Story in Genesis
“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…. and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.” Genesis 13:10, 12 NLT
Careful and thorough examination is important when deciding upon major issues in life. Looking for a new car would entail what is affordable, safe, meets your needs and gets good gas mileage, along with how many charging stations are available if going all electric. These factors would be considered as proper having the right motives. Basing your decision on proper motives most likely will provide a good experience for you now and in the future. Wrong motives will produce just the opposite. Having a selfish attitude could lead you to make a purchase over your financial capability to make the monthly payment. You may find out there isn’t enough room as you thought and it is a gas guzzler, or you are stranded somewhere between Chicago and Minneapolis with no charging station in sight. You may have looked long and hard among your options for your new vehicle, but you had set your sights with the wrong motives.
The first book of the Bible records the story of a man who made a major decision with the wrong motives. In Genesis chapter 13 we have a story of Abram and his nephew Lot who was travelling with him. Both had abundant and increasing livestock which made it impossible for them to live together. Abram allowed Lot to choose where he preferred to go with Abram going in the opposite direction. The Bible says, “Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley.” (Gen.13:10 nlt) Lot saw fertile land, and out of selfishness and greed Lot chose it for himself. It made have been in today’s terms a wise calculated business move, but Lot could not see past his selfishness. He failed to calculate what it might cost him in the future.
Scripture informs us of Lot’s long look and his move to the cities near Sodom, the well-known Sodom and Gomorrah. “But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the LORD.” (Gen.13:13 nlt) Life and business may have been good for Lot, but it turned for the worst when he eventually begins to live in Sodom. (Gen.14 & Gen.19) Lot’s greed and selfishness brought him in needless conflict with the sins of the people around him affecting himself and his family. A long look is advisable and necessary but made with the wrong motives becomes a disaster.
Advent 2025: Guest post Dave Duncan
Advent 2025: The Word in a Manger
Read: John 1:1-5, 14 NLT – Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word – In – Bible Gateway
“So, the Word became human and made his home among us.” John 1:14 NLT
We have reached the fourth Sunday of Advent and are only four days away from Christmas. Preparations are being made for the big day which will start with our Christmas Eve service. Many carols sung that evening in churches around the world will reflect the ‘babe in a manger’ born on that silent night. Most people may know that child is the ‘Christ child born of Mary,’ but how many truly know who He is. How about you, do you know?
The apostle John gives a detailed description of who this baby is. Although the story of Jesus’ birth is found only in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, John recaps it in one simple verse. “So the Word became human and made his home among us.” (Jn.1:14 nlt) John wrote his gospel to prove the deity of Christ. Jesus as the Son of God, very God in the flesh. He begins immediately with the very first verse, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Jn.1:1 nlt)
John’s reference to the ‘Word’ was used as both Jews and Gentiles would have been familiar with what John was expressing. One of the uses of this term by the Greeks would have been ‘divine reason.’ The Jews used it as a term relating to God. When John used ‘Word’ in verse one the Gentiles would think ‘divine reason’ and the Jews would think God. So, what did John say? The ‘Word’ always existed. The ‘Word’ was with God in the beginning and the ‘Word’ was God.
This baby is the ‘Word’ in a manger, the one who created the world and holds its existence. He is the light of world bringing salvation to all who put their trust in Him. The ‘Word’ in a manger is Jesus Christ, the second person of the trinity. He is God in the flesh. ‘O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord.’
Peace in the midst of evil
Read: Psalm 84 NLT – Psalm 84 – For the choir director: A – Bible Gateway
“O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield! Show favor to the one you have anointed. For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory” Psalm 84:9, 11 NLT
Charles Spurgeon noted the 84th Psalm ‘was entitled to be called The Pearl of Psalms. This is one of the most sweet of the Psalms of Peace.’
As I write this ‘Christian Perspective’ on a clear cold December morning, we have just come out of another horrific weekend of evil around the world. Two U.S. soldiers, members of the Iowa National Guard, were killed in an ambushed attack by an ISIS gunman in Syria. Two students were shot and killed and nine others injured in a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island as an assailant entered a classroom shouting and began shooting. A Hanukkah celebration turned deadly in Sydney, Australia as the Jewish community gathered at the world-famous Bondi Beach. A father and son duo staged a planned attack on the celebrating Jews killing 15, including a 10-year girl and wounding 40 others. And just this morning, (Monday) the news headlines include the double homicide of actor Rob Reiner and his wife. Their son has been arrested in connection with the killings.
Yes, we are living in a violent and evil world. We may ask will there ever be peace in this world. How is it possible to be encourage about the future? Is it even possible to live in peace in the midst of all this evil. Psalm 84, in which Spurgeon calls ‘the most sweet of the Psalms of Peace,’ has several references we can cling to in answering these questions.
This psalm is one of several ‘songs of ascent’ pilgrims sang as travelled to Jerusalem for one of the feast days. Their attention was focused on the presence of God as they would worship Him in the Temple. They had a deep longing and passion for the house of God. God was there. It was His house; it is where He chose to place His Holy name. It brought peace in the midst of evil.
Later in the psalm, the psalmist writes of a king preferably David or perhaps Solomon who is God’s anointed. (v.9) This anointed one was a shield to his people during his reign. Ultimately this is a reference to the future king, the Lord Jesus, who will come and be a shield to those who believe in Him. In verse 11, the psalmist refers to God as a sun and shield. Charles Spurgeon comments, ‘A sun for happy days and a shield for dangerous ones. A sun above, a shield around. A light to show the way and a shield to ward off its perils.’
In a few days Christians around the world will celebrate this anointed king coming to earth as our sun and shield who will grant us peace in the midst of evil. Jesus does that by setting those free from the slavery of sin whose accept Him as their savior. The evil of sin in our hearts is done away with, and we can live in peace with God for we have been reconciled to Him. We can then live in this world in peace in the midst of evil for our future is bright.
Advent 2025: Guest post ‘Devotions for Difficult Days’
Do you understand the way you are going?
“The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” Proverbs 20:24 NLT
Photo by Yana Marudova on Unsplash
It should behoove us to plan out our future. Any endeavor we decide to take on should not proceed until perfectly planned out. Skipping this first step will prove unsuccessful. I’m afraid I’ve been a casualty of my own neglect in this area of my life several times. Lessons learned. Hopefully, not to be repeated again!
Proper planning sets boundaries along the path we decide to take. It guides us to stay in our lane and not drift into unproductive areas. With no plan in place we drift from side to side even if we have an end goal in mind. We make adjustments along the way to compensate for lost time and finances but realize we don’t understand the way we are going. It is a helpless feeling.
Our need for planning is essential, that’s number 1. The need to give it to the Lord is number 2. Feel free to reverse that order especially if it is Lord laying it upon your heart. There are a couple of things we need to know when we give our plans over to the Lord. “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” (Pr.19:21 nlt) The Lord will direct our plans in the direction of His will, where He desires them to go. A second thing we need to know is that we still may not understand everything in the way we are going and that’s OK because it is the Lord who is directing our steps.
It is better for us to not understand our way with the Lord leading and directing our steps than for us to wander around aimlessly with no plans. Either way we won’t comprehend, but with God in control we don’t need to try to understand everything along the way. He will get us to our destination.
Advent 2025: Let Christ fill the void in your life this Christmas
“Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.” Luke 15:1 NASB
What was it about Jesus that drew sinners and the outcasts of society to Him? Tax collectors in Jesus’s day extorted money from people by demanding excessive amounts above the required payment. They were the most hated and mistrusted individuals in that day. They were earning a lucrative living by openly stealing. Note that it was not just tax collectors who were drawn to Jesus for the Bible says “and the sinners were coming near Him.”
And who were the sinners? Yes, drunkards, prostitutes, swindlers, thieves, liars, murderers and the like, “coming near Him to listen to Him.”
And who are the tax collectors and sinners in our day? I’m afraid it’s you and me. In some degree all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Ro. 3:23). And we all have a void, a deep hole in our souls that can only be filled by Jesus Christ. We were created to have a relationship with our heavenly Father, but that relationship is broken by our sin. It is an empty and nagging feeling that if you admit it; you know it is there. The tax collectors and sinners in Jesus’s day knew it was there. They didn’t want religious rules and regulations, they wanted forgiveness, and they wanted to fill the void, that deep hole in their life.
May you take the opportunity this Christmas to fill the void in your life by accepting Christ as your personal Savior. That is why He came. That is why we celebrate Christmas.
Are We Walking in Paul’s Sandals?
“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9 NLT
The apostle Paul was the greatest teacher and example in living the Christian life outside of Jesus Christ Himself. Paul was a vessel chosen of Christ to bear His name before Gentiles, kings, and sons of Israel. (Acts 9:15) Paul was taught by the Lord, the greatest teacher, so he knew what he was talking about. He also wrote one half of the New Testament under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He wrote to several churches and individuals inspiring and teaching them all to live godly and according to their calling in Christ Jesus. Paul also led by example.
Paul’s words of instruction are just as much for us today as it was for those early Christians. In writing to the church at Philippi, Paul encouraged them to, “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Ph.4:9 nlt) As we apply Paul’s words to ourselves in 2025, how are we doing? Are we walking in his sandals?
It is a much bigger responsibility than most of us may realize. It’s not just living the godly life but living in such a way that we are influencing the next generation for Christ. Are we setting Christlike examples for others to follow on a consistent basis? Paul opens up his life for examination to the Philippians by saying to follow his example in everything they heard him say and do. It is a bold statement that is more challenging than I’d like to admit, but it is what Paul is instructing us to do. So, again the question is, are we walking in Paul’s sandals?
Advent 2025: Set Free
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 NLT
“Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” 2 Timothy 2:26 NLT
Like it or not, we are all held captive by the world in one fashion or another. The Christmas holiday is a prime example of being influenced by the events around us that holds us captive. Of course, not all of the festive trimmings and wrappings of the season are a bad influence or have the ability to hold us captive. But when we take our eyes and our minds off the true meaning of Christmas we set ourselves up to fall into the devil’s trap. Satan would like nothing better than to have Jesus placed second or even third on His birthday. The less we inform people of the true ‘reason for the season’ as we say, the more he likes it.
Jesus said to those who had said they believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn. 8:32 nlt) But they questioned Jesus saying that they have never been in slavery to anyone, so how can they be set free. They did not understand that Jesus was not referring to physical slavery, but to the spiritual condition of their souls. They were enslaved to sin and to the father of lies, Satan himself. They needed to know the truth (divine revelation) and that truth says Jesus came to set us free from the captivity of sin and of Satan.
I trust that those of us who know Jesus as our personal Savior will not be held captive by the surroundings of Christmas that the truth of gospel fails to resonate with those around us. The Christmas story is more than about a baby in a manger on a silent night. There was a distinct and necessary purpose for the Christ child’s arrival; to set us free from the captivity of sin.
Word for the Soul 