March 8, 2007

[Rev. Doc]

Dulled To Sin

"Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom."
Genesis 13:12

There's an old story about a man who tried to save the city of Sodom from destruction by warning the citizens. But the people ignored him. One day someone asked, "Why bother everyone? You can't change them." "Maybe I can't," the man replied, "but I still shout and scream to prevent them from changing me!

Lot was a righteous man who should have done some screaming. The record of his life reminds us of how our sense of moral indignation can be dulled by the world. Lot chose to dwell in cities where there was great wickedness. When Sodom was invaded by hostile kings, he was captured. Even after Abraham rescued Lot, he was still drawn back to that wicked city. And the last chapter of his story is an account of heartache and shame. What a contrast -- this nephew and his uncle! Abraham trusted God, prayed for the righteous, and lived a moral life. But Lot was "oppressed with the filthy conduct of the wicked." Although the sin of his day bothered him, he apparently said little about it.

Prayer: Ask the Lord to help you to never become dulled to sins presence around you.

"Once we assuage our conscience by calling something a "necessary evil," it begins to look more and more necessary and less and less evil."
~Sidney J. Harris