On My Knees

Today's video/song is one of my all time favorites. It truly has been a storm of trials and tribulations these last few months. I've found myself on my knees quite a few times.

Yesterday proved to be quite a challenging day. It was my birthday. And it didn't feel like much of one. My heart hurts. Seems yesterday was a day for weeping. I sat at my desk weeping. I wept all the way home from work and then once I was sitting on my couch, I wept some more. I listened to the the song I posted yesterday and let the Lord just hold me.

I almost made quite a few poor choices yesterday. The good news is that I took the opportunity to choose wisely and consulted the Lord first and begin with the end in mind. This moment of decision making got me to thinking about the story of Abraham and Lot from the old testament.

What do Lot, the thief on the cross, and a thief on the news have in common? They're all people? Who knows? Who cares? Those may be a few of your answers.

Well, let's check. At first glance, it may seem that this trio has nothing in common. But if you really think about it, you'll find that they all have something in common: the thread of consequences. You're probably like, "AND? The point is?" Well, the point is, you'll find that same thread in your own life.

Here's the moral of this story. I'm going to give it to you right here at the beginning. Pay very careful attention to it though, because this simple lesson could save you a lifetime of heartache. The lesson is:
You are free to choose what decisions you will make, but you are not free to choose the consequences that come with those choices. Think back to the Old Testament story of Abraham and Lot. You will read in Genesis 13 that Abraham and Lot were traveling together. They weren't traveling alone either. They had their families, servants, every little thing they owned, and a whole bunch of livestock. When they finally found a good stopping point, they discovered the land was not big enough "for the two of them", their families, animals, & possessions. So while they're looking at these two pieces of land, Abraham told Lot to choose which one he'd like to have. Abraham didn't want to fight or argue and was okay with taking the plot of land Lot didn't choose.

So Lot really looked over his choices. All he could see was the physical beauty of the Jordan Valley, which contained the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Without much thought, Lot quickly selected that land as his home. His troubles began right away. God felt compelled to take drastic action to wipe them from the earth completely. Lot and his wife had to run for their lives (literally).

Lot's wife, in her final act of disobedience, looked back to the sinful city (that she had grown so accustomed to) and was turned into a pillar of salt. Lot's choice to live in that land had certainly come with a price.

So what does all that mean to you? What does that Old Testament Bible story have to say about your life and the way you choose to live it? Was Lot really such a bad guy? Was he any worse than any of us? Those are all good questions, and there really aren't all that many easy answers.
In 2 Peter 2:7, Scripture describes Lot as righteous. Yet Lot had a knack for making poor choices. As a result, he suffered terrible consequences. He lost his daughters, his home, and even his wife. These losses were a direct result of his poor choices.

So can we choose our consequences? In a roundabout way, yes, we can! We choose them by the dozens of other choices we make each day. The Bible is full of stories of people who did things the right way and experienced positive consequences. Abraham, Noah, Joseph, Daniel, Ruth, and Rahab are just a few. The Bible is also filled with those who did not make wise choices and suffered terrible consequences as a result. It's great to know God will forgive us when we fail, but it's better to get His help first and make the wise choice from the start.

Words for the heart.

Lamentations 3:19-26
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.