Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Choosing to Look Forward
By Jeannine Sawall

“Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and the entire valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

The Lord had provided a way out for Lot’s family. He had instructed them to flee from the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as judgment was imminent. Lot and his family were told to leave everything behind and to go and do not look back. Lot loved the Lord more than he loved the world and when commanded, he fled and did not look back. Unfortunately, Lot’s wife chose to identify herself with the city coming under judgment. In choosing to focus on what was behind her, she missed what God had in front of her and gave up the salvation the Lord had provided for her.

We might look at Lot’s wife and think turning into a pillar of salt is definitely Old Testament stuff, yet the lessons remain the same. Oftentimes, we are tempted to look back at our sinful life and think of it nostalgically - - “the good ol’ days,” so to speak. Yet, as new creations in the Lord, we are to look to God for His salvation and not yearn for the days in which we were still in bondage to sin. There’s no getting around the fact that sin can be pleasurable…for a time. But sin eventually shows itself for what it is, with damaging consequences.

There may also be times when the Lord is moving us into something new, yet we don’t want to leave what’s behind. Satan brings doubt into our lives by making us question God’s good intentions. Those questions can pop up when we are being taken into a new life, new place, new ministry or anything else that takes us out of our comfort zone. Our natural inclination is to be fearful, to want to stay put, to be like Lot’s wife…we like what we know: It’s comfortable and familiar. However, our God will never take us where His grace can’t keep us. If we choose to stay focused on what we’ve left behind, we will miss an opportunity for blessing. The alternative? Choose to look forward and trust God to bring about His good works.

When we decide to walk with the Lord, we need to be purposeful in our choices to go forward with Him, no matter where He’s taken us from or taking us to. He always has a better plan and all He asks is that we choose to trust Him and go forward.     

GOING DEEPER:
1. Where is God asking you to trust Him as He moves you forward into something new?
2. Is there an old habit that continues to draw you back into sin?  Ask the Lord to help you see His way out.

FURTHER READING:


Jeannine is a wife and mother of four active boys. She works in the property management business. Jeannine serves in the Oakwood Cafe and is actively involved in ministry to those walking through grief.