Coffee With The Lord

Can you imagine the terror and tragedy of a person kayaking above Niagara Falls as they busy themselves with their something on their cellphone.  They drift past all the warnings, they ignore all the barriers, and came very near slipping over the falls to their death!

I thought of that kind of possibility as I read Genesis 19:1-29 this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord.  Hey,  this chapter is very difficult to read… It certainly is not uplifting!

Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family have drifted toward the decadent cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (apparently for economic reasons).  God has purposed He must destroy these cities for their sin. The Lord mercifully sends heavenly emissaries to Lot to warn them and lead them to escape God’s judgment. (I believe, in response to Abraham’s intercession).  However, it is clear that “spiritual drift” has set into Lot’s life and family. He, and his family, have enculturated to Sodom more than they recognized or even wanted to admit… and it shows!!! Sodom has influenced Lot’s family and it is only a merciful act of God that he is spared its complete destruction in judgment.  Lot and his family almost have to be dragged from the city’s destruction they are so reluctant to leave.  Then God’s judgment falls.

It’s a sad, sad chapter in the Bible and a warning to us all who live in a wicked time and sinful culture!  Spiritual and moral drift is dangerous (and left unchecked, disastrous)!  Resist it!  Avoid it!  Beware!!

From my Bible reading today…Genesis 16:1-16

Abram’s wife, Sarai, had a female Egyptian servant by the name of Hagar.

Sarai had not yet been able to bear a child, even in the face of God’s promise. So Sarai, suggested an accepted human strategy – “Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” Abram did, Hagar got pregnant, and then Sarai regretted her decision and harassed Hagar.

Hagar fled. “The angel of the Lord” found Hagar by a spring and asked where she was going. She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai!”

The “angel of the Lord” then directed her to do a difficult thing – “Return to your mistress and submit to her” and promised her a son. He said, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. His name shall be called Ishmael [God hears], because the Lord has listened to your affliction.

What did Hagar do? “She called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ because truly here I have seen Him who looks after me!”

Listen, you may feel marginalized and used! You may feel unimportant and forgotten! But God sees… He sees you, He knows where you are at and what you’re going through, He cares about you, He loves you and has a purpose for your life! That’s the lesson I believe today for someone from Hagar!

This is what I wrote in the margin of my Bible after reading Romans 5:1-11 during my time of “coffee with the Lord” this morning… “Wow! The awesome benefits of being “justified” – experiencing “justification by faith!” (Hey, you really ought to read it for yourself in the Bible and check me out!)…

1. First of all, the most obvious benefit – I’m made “right” with God – His righteousness is credited to the account of a guilty sinner! But getting right with God is just the beginning! Ther are so many other wonderful benefits accrue to us as a result of that experience! Here’s my personal list based upon what Romans 5:1-11 says…

2. Peace with God (not just peace that comes FROM God – I am at peace WITH God – I’m right with God)!

3. I have God’s “grace” to “stand in” – God’s grace (everything I need that He freely provides) is the foundation for my life!

4. I rejoice in the hope that one day I’ll share in the glory of God (heaven – being in His presence forever)!

5. I am even able to rejoice when I’m suffering, knowing that my suffering doesn’t destroy me – it develops me!

6. And over it all, God’s love is poured lavishly into my heart every day through the Holy Spirit that God gives me!

7. Oh, and I can’t help but add one more that’s described in the verses that follow (verses 6-11) … We rejoice because we have been saved from God’s wrath (which, incidentally, is His righteous response to sin that has not been dealt with) and we are reconciled to God!

Wow! Praise the Lord! Getting “right with God” through faith in Christ