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Lot meets the angels – Two angels came to the city gates of Sodom in the evening and found Lot sitting there at the gates. Lot, apparently, was an important man in the city. Lot invited them to his place for the night, but they said no, they would sleep in the open square. Lot insisted, so they agreed. He prepared a feast for them. He wanted to keep them safe from the wickedness of the city. Lot knew the city was wicked, but he had chosen to move into the city anyway. Maybe he thought he would make a difference in the culture around him, but instead he and his family were influenced by Sodom.
Fleeing Sodom – The angels asked Lot about any family members he had in the city, son-in-laws, sons, daughters, whatever family he had needed to be warned to leave. The city was going to be destroyed. His son-in-laws thought he was joking. Morning came, the angels took the hands of Lot, his wife, and his daughters and led them out of the city. They told them to flee to the mountains and not look back. Lot begged to be allowed to go to the little city of Zoar, which was allowed. His wife did look back and turned into a pillar of salt. Lot was saved because Abraham entreated the Lord.
How can we be in the world and not of it? In the final prayer of Jesus, he prayed that we could be in the world but not of the world. We are called to be lights, we are not called to move. We need to protect our hearts and “not lay up for ourselves treasures on earth.” Our hearts follow our treasure.
Daniel continued to love God even in Babylon. How did he maintain his integrity? 1) He sought out people who had the same beliefs and values that he did. 2) He served God in the small things, even in what he ate. Little things are where we build strength. 3) He set guardrails for himself. 4) He was willing to stand out. He was honest. 5) He remained humble. God is the one who gives talents like the ability to interpret the king’s dreams. 6) He maintained good habits. As was his custom, he prayed three times a day. 7) He spoke openly about his God.
When Abraham gave Lot the choice of where to live, Lot chose the plain. He saw Sodom in the distance and eventually moved into the city. We need to know and plan on how we will interact with the culture that we live in today. We need to stand for truth in a dark culture.