Lot chooses the well watered land

The Genesis account demonstrates that Lot, Abraham's nephew, was a deeply flawed character, with a heart that always seemed drawn to earthly rewards.

One such example occurs in Genesis 13, where Abraham graciously gives Lot first choice of available land. In making his choice (verses 10 and 11, KJV),

Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah ... Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan.

Lot makes his choice based on the land's capacity to enrich himself, thus his selection of the "well watered" plain. But that fertile area also contained the seeds of wickedness, and would eventually be destroyed.

Unfortunately, we behave much like Lot when faced with similar decisions. That is, we tend to pursue paths that lead to earthly rewards and comforts, while neglecting spiritual treasures. Let us pray without ceasing that God show us a better path.

Taking stock of time

One of the most difficult spiritual concepts -- at least for me! -- is that, if God created time and space, then he must operate outside the bounds of how we perceive time and space. This sobering thought, in turn, requires us to approach God with extreme humility.

Focusing specifically on our inability to process "spiritual time," Psalm 90:4 (KJV) states,

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Verse 12 of the same Psalm states,

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Together, these verses imply that, not only is our time limited, but our time is impossible for us to completely understand! The only thing to do is following the advice of verse 12 and pray for spiritual wisdom.

Turn again to the Lord

With all of world's distractions, it seems so easy to drift away from prayer and spirituality. But that is not a new problem unique to our time. Indeed, the bible is full of notes of caution, and also words of advice, on this exact topic.

For example, Lamentations 3:40 (KJV) reads,

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.

And Paul commands (1 Corinthians 11:28, KJV),

Let a man examine himself.

And Psalm 119:176 (KJV) reads,

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

Again, these are not new problems unique to us. These times of drift are, unfortunately, part of our spiritual journey. Our task is to self-diagnose those times of drift, search our ways, and "turn again to the Lord."

A prayer of praise from Isaiah

The book of Isaiah is long and dense, teeming with prophecies, prayers, visions, and judgments, often packed within just a few verses.

The 12th chapter contains a brief, powerful prayer of praise. I reproduce the first two verses of that chapter from the KJV translation here:

O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

The prayer thanks God for his mercy, his salvation, and his protection, exactly the sorts of topics upon which to base a prayer of praise. Those verses are short and easy to memorize. Let us try them in prayer!

Daily Light devotional

Daily devotionals, publications that provide spiritual readings each day, offer a great way to remain active in prayer, and there are many from which to choose, across a wide variety of formats.

In this post, I'd like to draw attention to the "Daily Light on the Daily Path" option, often shorted to "Daily Light." Originally published in 1875, the Daily Light devotional provides twice-a-day (morning and evening) collections of short bible verses connected through a common theme. The devotional offer no other commentary -- just bible verses, which makes it unique among devotionals.

Due to its age, the devotional is widely available on the internet. I prefer the website https://dailylightdevotional.org/, but there are many other sources.

Try it out for a few days. Read the verses, morning and evening, and reflect on the common theme. See if it enhances your prayer life!

The bible makes it clear

Proverbs 22:20-21 (KJV) states,

Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

As with so many parts of the bible, those words appear to hold dual meanings. On one hand, those are the words of Solomon to all who seek spiritual wisdom.

But on the other hand, those are the words of God, spoken direct to us. He's making clear that the words of the bible are there for our "counsels and knowledge," that we might know the "certainty of the words of truth," and that we might "answer the words of truth" to others.

So as we read, study, and pray the bible, never lose sight of the fact that the bible makes God's will clear through the plainness of clarity of written form.

The importance of blood

Leviticus 17, in dealing with where and how to conduct animal sacrifices, contains (at least) two important spiritual lessons.

First, verses 3-4 (KJV) stress that sacrifices must be conducted at the tabernacle.

What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, and bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation ... that man shall be cut off from among his people.

This requirement was meant to counter the widespread practice of offering spiritual sacrifices anywhere and everywhere, a practice that tended to foster attendant pagan activities.

Now, recognizing that the tabernacle (later Temple) was a precursor to Jesus, and also recognizing that Jesus replaced the system of animal sacrifices with deeper sacrifices of prayer, the implication of this passage for us is that our focus must be directed toward Jesus, and not toward the materialistic concerns of this world.

Second, verse 10 forbids eating blood.

Whatsoever man there be ... that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

This rule about not eating blood also appeared at the Council of Jerusalem in the New Testament, indicating that even those early church fathers struggled to understand the meaning of this rule. Yet we clearly don't adhere to this in modern times. After all, people eat rare steaks, without concern for the spiritual implications. Is that a sin? Of course not; the bible makes clear that God is not concerned about dietary trivialities.

The prohibition on eating blood was meant to highlight that, in the system of animal sacrifices, the only way to remove sin was to shed blood. Something had to lose its life, and the dietary rule was a way to emphasize that point. Jesus, by shedding the ultimate blood, did away with animal sacrifices and removed sin forever. So once again, blood had to be shed. The "dietary" rule, as it applies to us, is that we must recognize the importance and meaning of Jesus' sacrifice, but that recognition does not, in turn, imply any sort of rule about food. For our sake, the Old Testament dietary rule was yet another precursor of Jesus.

So try re-reading Leviticus 17 with these points in mind. The chapter becomes something much more than a list of rules about animal sacrifice!