Bible League: Living His Word “Remember Lot's wife.”— Luke 17:32 ESV God had decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the people’s wicked ways, but there was a problem. The problem was that Lot, a righteous man, was living in Sodom with his family. Consequently, the angels who would destroy the cities had to get Lot and his family out of there before disaster struck. The angels said to Lot, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city” (Genesis 19:15). Since Lot lingered, the angels had to physically seize him and his family by the hand and lead them outside the city. The angels then said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away” (Genesis 19:17). In spite of the warning, Lot’s wife looked back as the disaster struck and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). Things change. Life has its seasons. The seasons follow one after the other—whether you want them to or not. That’s the lesson of Ecclesiastes: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). If God decides that a particular season in your life is over, then it’s time to leave it behind and move on to the next season, it’s time to move forward and not linger. In our verse for today Jesus told His followers to remember Lot’s wife because He wanted them to understand this basic truth. He wanted them to be ready for the season to come and not get caught in the season to be left behind. The trouble with Lot’s wife is that she wasn’t ready. She wasn’t willing. She looked back to the old season. She wanted to hold on to it. She was more concerned with what was behind her than what was ahead of her. The trouble with looking back, however, is that you risk disaster. The grace of God lies in the next season, not in the old one. God is not happy when you look back. Perhaps you sense that the Lord is leading you by the hand to the next season of your life. Perhaps you even sense that disaster is looming if you fail to follow Him. If so, then don’t linger and don’t look back. Remember Lot’s wife—and then move forward to what lies ahead. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJob 16, 17, 18 Job 16 -- Job Reproves His Friends for Their Unmerciful Outlook; Maintains His Innocence NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Job 17 -- Job Appeals from Men to God NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Job 18 -- Bildad Reproves Job for Presumption and Impatience NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 9:1-22 Acts 9 -- Saul's Conversion; Ananias; Saul Begins to Preach; Aeneas and Dorcas NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.Insight Mark's Gospel emphasizes Christ's power as well as his servanthood. Jesus' life and teaching turn the world upside down. The world sees power as a way to gain control over others. But Jesus, with all authority and power in heaven and earth, chose to serve others. He held children in his arms, healed the sick, washed the disciples' feet, and died for the sins of the world. Challenge Following Jesus means receiving this same power to serve. As believers, we are called to be servants of Christ. As Christ served, so we are to serve. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon 2 Chronicles 32:31 Howbeit, in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.Hezekiah was growing so inwardly great, and priding himself so much upon the favor of God, that self-righteousness crept in, and through his carnal security, the grace of God was for a time, in its more active operations, withdrawn. Here is quite enough to account with the Babylonians; for if the grace of God should leave the best Christian, there is enough of sin in his heart to make him the worst of transgressors. If left to yourselves, you who are warmest for Christ would cool down like Laodicea into sickening lukewarmness: you who are sound in the faith would be white with the leprosy of false doctrine; you who now walk before the Lord in excellency and integrity would reel to and fro, and stagger with a drunkenness of evil passion. Like the moon, we borrow our light; bright as we are when grace shines on us, we are darkness itself when the Sun of Righteousness withdraws himself. Therefore let us cry to God never to leave us. "Lord, take not thy Holy Spirit from us! Withdraw not from us thine indwelling grace! Hast thou not said, I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day'? Lord, keep us everywhere. Keep us when in the valley, that we murmur not against thy humbling hand; keep us when on the mountain, that we wax not giddy through being lifted up; keep us in youth, when our passions are strong; keep us in old age, when becoming conceited of our wisdom, we may therefore prove greater fools than the young and giddy; keep us when we come to die, lest, at the very last, we should deny thee! Keep us living, keep us dying, keep us laboring, keep us suffering, keep us fighting, keep us resting, keep us everywhere, for everywhere we need thee, O our God!" Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 25:7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.Isaiah 44:22 "I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." Isaiah 43:25 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. Jeremiah 31:34 "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. Isaiah 38:17 "Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back. Micah 7:18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-- New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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