THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 21, JUNE 23, 2002

“AND LOT LIFTED UP HIS EYES”  

            In Genesis 13 we read of Abram and lot parting ways because the land was not sufficient to bear both of them with their families and possessions.  In verse 9, Abram offered Lot the following solution to their problem, “Is not the whole land before thee?  Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”   

            Abram left the choice entirely up to Lot .  He was free to choose where he would live, where he would raise his family.  Verses 10 & 11 detail his choice, as well as the reasons for it.  The passage says, “And 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, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comes unto Zoar.  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.”  

            There was one aspect that Lot obviously did not consider as he was making his choice.  Verse 13 tells us, “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”  

            So Lot lifted up his eyes and made this important life decision on the basis of what appealed to his eyes.  The plain of Jordan was well watered and obviously fruitful, but we have to wonder about the cities that were located there.  Later we would find that in having chosen the vicinity of these cities as the place to raise his children, Lot would actually take up residence in the city of Sodom itself.  It is apparent that the moral character of these cities was well known, and yet Lot chose to live among them.  Did he make his choice purely on the basis of material considerations?  Did he journey east to the plain and the cities of it because he thought that that was where he would prosper the most?  Whatever was the basis for Lot ’s decision, and we are told that he “lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where”, how it would affect his family spiritually was not his primary concern.  

            In our lives we are so often faced with what I would call “life decisions”.  They are choices that we must make that will have a profound effect upon us.  Aside from the most significant choice of all – to be a Christian – consider some of these “life choices” with me.  Where will I go to school, will I get married and if so, who will I marry?  Will we have children and how many?  What kind of job do I want?  Where do I want to live?  With what congregation do I want to identify?  The list goes on and on.  What will be the basis upon which we make these decisions?  

            I think of Joseph, who, when confronted with a life decision of whether or not to commit fornication, said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9)  I think of Joshua demanding a choice to be made by the Israelites, and saying, “If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)  Each made their choice on the basis of what was best spiritually.  So must we.  

                                                            Greg Litmer

YOU ARE A “KEY” PERSON  

          XvXn though this typxwritxr is an old modxl, it works wxll xxcxpt for onx of thx kxys.  I’vx wishxd many timxs that it workxd pxrfxctly.  Trux, thxrx arx 42 kxys that function, but onx kxy not working makxs thx diffxrxncx.  

          Somxtimxs, it sxxms that our organization is somxwhat likx this typxwritxr, not all thx pxoplx arx working propxrly.  You might say, “Wxll I’m only onx pxrson.  It won’t makx much diffxrxncx.”  

          But you sxx, an organization, to be xfficixnt, needs thx activx participation of xvxry pxrson.  Thx nxxt timx you think your xffortx arxn’t nxxdxd, rxmxmbxr this typxwritxr, and say to yoursxlf, “I am a kxy pxrson and thxy nxxd mx vxry much.”

           Via The Overland Church Bulletin

**** There was a young mother at services one Lord’s Day morning and she had her 1 year old baby boy with her.  No sooner had the preacher started talking when little Johnny got to fussing and whining pretty loudly.  The longer the preacher talked, the louder little Johnny got.  Finally the mother got up and started to take her son out to teach him a short lesson on keeping quiet during services.  As the preacher saw her get up, he thought he would be nice, and he said, “Ma’am, you don’t have to take that baby out on my account, he’s not bothering me.”

            About that time Johnny’s mother turned around and said, “No, but you sure are bothering  him!”

            Sometimes it just pays to keep your mouth shut.