March 24, 2017 – Luke 17
Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it,
and whoever loses their life will preserve it. Luke 17:32-33
Pursuing earthly
comforts robs us of eternal blessings.
The story of Lot & his family is one that often gets
ignored or forgotten. Lot was a relative
of Abraham, who loyally followed him to a land they had neither seen nor knew
about. They moved around and built up
their families and farms, until the size of their flocks became a
conflict. Then Abraham offered Lot a
choice of where to live, and Lot chose the rich valleys of Sodom & Gomorrah
over the hill country. It seemed like a
wise choice, until they discovered the sinful nature of people in the valley,
and the level of corruption they enjoyed.
Soon Lot & his family are caught in the middle of it, and when God
shows up to bring down his punishment, they have to escape with their
lives. No wealth, no comforts, no
cattle, nothing. At the end of the story, Lot’s wife turned back to look at
their losses, and ended up becoming a pillar of salt. Not a pleasant ending to what many would say
had been a successful life.
Jesus wanted people to remember that story. It is a clear warning of what pursuing
worldly successes will lead to. The
world may be impressed, and we may grow wealth, but in the end we will leave it
all behind, and our attachment to it will kill us. Trying to keep our lives will be the
attachment that kills life.
On the other hand, Abraham was willing to let Lot have the
choicest of land, and take on a harder area to live. While Abraham made mistakes, he constantly
wanted to follow God’s plan for his life.
Worldly comforts were available to Abraham, but not something he
required. And when Lot was in trouble,
Abraham was willing to help. Thousands
of years later, much of the world knows of Abraham, and his legacy reaches far
and wide. By letting go of his life,
Abraham found a life worth living.
Jesus spoke often about this Total Pursuit principle, and
it’s the calling of this devotional year.
Don’t look back on what you had, and don’t hold on to what you own. Let God lead your life and stay in total
pursuit of His will, and you will end up discovering your life.
Remember Lot’s Wife!
Whoever tries to hold onto this life will just lose it. But whoever lets go of this life to pursue
the next will find both.
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