Today’s scripture: Genesis 19:30-38 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Steve Adams):
Isn’t it amazing how easy it is to make bad choices? These verses are a great illustration of that! However, we can learn from all these mistakes!
Lot was afraid disaster would strike him if he fled to the hills, where the angels had told him to go. So he moves to Zoar instead, where he’s afraid again — so afraid that he moved from there into a cave. So we see that fear can lead us away from godly advice and steer us toward bad decisions — if we let it.
Fear was also the downfall of Lot’s daughters. They must have thought they’d be trapped in that cave forever! Why else would they concoct such a desperate, pathetic scheme to have children through their father instead of with a future husband? They clearly needed the shield of faith spoken of in Ephesians 6. With faith they could have seen the many possibilities for a true
solution to their problem.
So how can we avoid Lot and his daughters’ debacles and make good choices instead? I think it’s learning to listen to God’s Spirit in us — that Spirit that imparts a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7), equipping us to make wise choices. When we become attuned to the Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit begins to grow in our souls. It makes its presence known and exerts influence!
When such qualities as peace, patience generosity, faithfulness, and self-control previal, we’re naturally inclined to choose wisely. Of course its smart to learn as much relevant information as we can, but, without these fruit of the Spirit, fear can sneak in and derail our reasoning, like it did for Lot and his daughters.
Thought for the day: O God, help me listen to your Spirit so I can make wise decisions!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.