While we’re not of this world, we are to live in it. But are there are times when we need to remove ourselves and our families from certain environments, whether that is a workplace, a school system, a circle of friends, or a city? If so, how do we stay strong enough in the Lord to be salt and light, yet discerning enough to know when it’s time to go?

Also, read about what Jesus said about respect for authority, His mercy in our weakness, and the importance of allowing God’s Word to control our inner attitudes, as well as, our outward actions.

Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each day’s post. And … this year you’ll find the daily “Bible in a Year” posts on YouTube. The daily emails now have a link to both the Soul Survival posts here and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up. (If you already receive them, no need to sign up again.)

Today’s Readings:

Genesis 19 & 20
Psalm 6.1-5
Proverbs 3.1-4
Matthew 8.1-17

When It’s Time to Go

Genesis 19 & 20:

Compromise with the World

God had sent two angels to Sodom. When they met Abraham’s nephew Lot at the city gate, he insisted they stay in his home instead of in the open square. It doesn’t appear that Lot knew who they were, but he did know the character of the men who lived around him. Genesis 19:

⁴ Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. ⁵ And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.’

⁶ So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, ⁷ and said, ‘Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! ⁸ See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.’

⁹ And they said, ‘Stand back!’ Then they said, ‘This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.’ So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. ¹⁰ But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. ¹¹ And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

People Like Us

Romans 15.4 says:

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

The Bible, especially the Old Testament, often instructs us by telling us the stories of people much like us.

Here in Chapter 19, we see through the lives of Lot and his family how easy it is, even though we may be believers, to compromise and “live” in places and situations where we shouldn’t. 2 Peter 2.7 calls Lot “righteous.” That doesn’t mean everything he did was righteous. He was righteous by faith—faith in the One True God—just as we are made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross.

Yet he chose to live in a city so wicked that God would completely destroy it!

According to verse 9, he had tried to do some good there. Like Lot, it’s easy for us to justify being somewhere we shouldn’t by claiming we’re “witnessing.” Certainly, we are called to be salt and light, but we need to be sure we’re really called to be there, and not justifying what we want to do. It is often easier when we are hanging around evil people for them to pull us down than for us to pull them up (Ps. 1).

And sometimes, even though God called us to something, that season may be over and it may be time to go: time to leave a job, time to make other plans to educate our children, time to spend less time with relatives, time to make new friends and pray for the old ones from a distance.

Increasingly Off Limits

We may not be there yet and we may still win some battles between now and then, but as Ron Dreher in his book The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation says, some careers may become increasingly off-limits to faithful Christians. We have seen this happening with professions like bakers, photographers, and web designers where demands are made on them to perform services that violate their Christian beliefs. It’s, also, happening in varying degrees in school districts, law offices, and many other areas.

Businessmen and women have been expected to pay for abortion and other medical procedures they believe are wrong. Doctors are sometimes pressured to perform those services. And the American Psychological Association has declared “traditional masculinity” to be psychologically damaging. Some counselors have been forbidden to help gender-confused people seek biblical help so they can live God-honoring lives. Even pastors and those counseling in the church are being threatened to some degree. And it’s probably just the beginning.

Staying Strong

The only way we can stay strong enough to be salt and light and discerning enough to know if and when it’s time to go is if we stay strong in the Lord. We do so by spending time with Him and by being obedient to His commands (Heb. 5.12-14).

As we’ve been talking about over the last few days, that means reading His Word, talking to Him in prayer, and meditating on the truths of God and not the things of this world. It, also, means fellowshipping with other believers and exposing ourselves to people who will hold us accountable (1 Cor. 15.33) and situations that allow us to grow.

Accountability comes from being connected to people who challenge us to be more like Christ and love us enough to rebuke us when we’re sinning or beginning to compromise (Prov. 27.6).

God’s View of Homosexuality

It hardly seems necessary to comment on what this chapter says about God’s view of homosexuality but, sadly, I see many believers buying into the world’s message. God loves those caught in the snare of homosexual behavior (so much so that He died for them) and we are to love them, too, but we can’t justify sinful behavior.

In fact, as I heard Dr. Heath Lambert once say, “Where is the grace in making people comfy on the way to hell? It violates the standards of Ephesians 4.15.”

Back to our text:

¹² Then the men [angels] said to Lot, ‘Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! ¹³ For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.’

¹⁴ So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, ‘Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!’ But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

When we have compromised or lived a hypocritical lifestyle, we shouldn’t think people will take us seriously when we talk to them about spiritual things.

¹⁵ When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.’ ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, ‘Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.’

Lot’s Wife

Yet Lot’s own wife failed to see the seriousness of their situation and disobeyed the angels’ command to not look back:

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt (v. 26).

And even after they had seen God’s hand in their family’s deliverance from Sodom and their mother’s death, Lot’s daughters would take their future into their own hands, get their father drunk, and have sex with him to preserve their family line (Gen. 19.30-38).

Make no mistake; our compromises and disobedience can have far-reaching effects. Could it be time to reevaluate some situation in your life? Is some relationship dangerous to you or your family, especially spiritually? What about an educational environment or job requirements? If so, seek God’s wisdom and trust Him to lead you in any decision.

Is There a Time to Go in a Marriage?

Someone may be wondering if it’s time to leave their marriage?

It’s possible. But the cases where that’s true are pretty narrow. I have written in depth on that subject in these two posts, “The Bible on Marriage and Divorce” and “Biblical Grounds for Divorce.” Most importantly, I would encourage you to seek the advice of your pastor.

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 6.1-5:

Mercy in Our Weakness

David understood how easy it is to justify our own sin. In this psalm, he cries out for God’s mercy in response to his own foolish, sinful behavior:

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak …” (v. 2).

Proverbs 3.1-4:

Mercy & Truth Inside & Out

This passage shows us the only way to avoid such foolishness:

1 My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.

We must not let go of mercy and truth, as reflected in God’s laws and commands. We must “bind them around our necks,” allow them to define our outward behavior. And “write them on the tablet of our hearts,” let them guide our inner attitudes.

Matthew 8.1-17:

Respect for Authority = Great Faith

This is the story of a centurion, a gentile, and the healing of his servant:

⁵ Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, ⁶ saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

⁷ And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

⁸ The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

Did you notice that Jesus equated an understanding of authority to “great faith”? As we live under imperfect authority whether as wives, as children, as employees, as citizens of a nation, or as military personnel, we need to be mindful of the importance of a proper understanding of authority in God’s economy. If you would like to understand more about God’s view of authority, you might want to check out this post, “The Truth about Authority.”

Closing Thoughts:

On what truths do you need to study and meditate so they can be more a part of your thinking and behavior?
Where does God have your attention?
Have you compromised in any area?
Have you been ignoring God’s conviction instead of obeying?
Is there some area of your life where it’s “time to go”?

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about those things in our lives that we may need to put on the altar, the consequences of favoritism, and how we often hide who we really are.

I hope you’ll join me and, if you haven’t already,  take the challenge to read through the Bible with me this year. Even though we may do it imperfectly or miss a day here and there, I find when we set it as a goal, we read far more of God’s Word than we would otherwise. I know we all get far too much email these days but having the daily devotion pop up in your inbox each day can serve as a general reminder to get into God’s Word. It goes out at 6 a.m. MST.

You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest, and now listen on YouTube. Just click on the social media icons or go to my YouTube channel.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

I recently read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.