Mercy In Judgment

When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

Genesis 19:16-17 NIV

What can you say about Lot and his wife? They definitely are not an example of what we are supposed to be like. Even though Peter describes him as "a righteous man" (II Peter 2:2), I don't think we are to follow his example of moving close to, then into sin. We should learn what not to do and what to do when confronted with God's mercy. We should not hang around sin and we should flee from sin when the Spirit begins to convict us. 

The parallel to our lives is simple. Lot saw Sodom and thought it looked good. First, he pitched his tents near Sodom (Genesis 13:12). Then, he moved in to Sodom and got caught up in their battles (Genesis 14:12). Finally, he's sitting in the gateway of the city (Genesis 19:2) hanging out with the leaders. When God came down to judge the city for the evil, Lot didn't want to leave. The sinful lifestyle had become part of Lot and his family. Despite that, God mercifully grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and daughters and saved them. Except Lot's wife who looked back. 

The parallel for you and I can be many different areas of sin. Specifically, I want us to think about an area where the Spirit has done something in your life that should alert you. Maybe there was a little warning on your phone, or computer screen. Perhaps it was a look from your spouse. Maybe you're just hanging our with friends and the topics and choices make you wonder if you should be there or do that. Well, that's the Spirit beginning to convict you. 

In the story of Lot I see three levels of mercy and what for us would be the Spirits' work within us. First, when sin is just a temptation, like Sodom, a choice. Lot knew better and so do we. Second, when we move right up into the sin. God may rescue us like he did Lot when Abram fought the kings that took him. Third, we become part of the sin. In each of those the Spirit is convicting us. Finally, there will come a moment when the Spirit grasps our hand and says, "Flee for your life!" Don't think. Just flee.

Are you at one of those moments? Has he rescued you and you went back? Is the Spirit offering you a way out? Take it. 

Shhhhh! / Titus 3:1-2

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable, and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men." Titus 3:1-2

The past few years have held a bit of a dilemma for me. A couple of people I worked with operated in a manner I just didn't agree with. I had to deal with them and the backlash of how they treated other people. The difficulty is not in telling the truth. The challenge of grace is to tell the truth in the spirit of grace and love. For me that has meant there were times when I had to bite my tongue and not interject a comment about them into some conversations. Sometimes, in the middle of a statement I could sense the Spirit convicting me that I was going over the line. Shhh!

Two interesting thoughts here. One, the word for slander in the Greek is where we get the word blaspheme. It also has a sense of to vilify. To be honest, I kind of look at these people as villains.  But, I don't need to go on and on about how bad they are. Frankly, their actions have spoken louder than anything I could say and their reputations are set in stone. My response is to be peaceable and considerate with a healthy dose of humility. Shhh!

I think it was the movie Jumanji where a character tries to cheat the game by rolling early and his penalty is to be turned into a monkey. Another character asks him if he cheated and he replied something like he just tried to get ahead and she said, "That would be cheating." Sometimes we want to say, "I just..." and the Spirit says, "That would be wrong. Shhh!"

Trust God to deal with others, you just do what is right. 

Father, help us to do what is right by faith and to do what is good. Praise be to you in us today!