Consider the Moth


Consider the moth. He is attracted to the light and tries to get as close to it as he can. If he gets too close…
In Genesis 13 we find Abram and his nephew, Lot, having some challenging times. They were both rich men, which meant lots of herds and flocks. Their herdsmen and shepherds were having problems sharing the grass and the water and fights were breaking out between them. Abram called Lot in for a meeting to resolve the issue and magnanimously, gave his nephew first choice of all the land that they could see. What Lot saw were the fertile plains along the Jordan. If he noticed the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (13:13), he shrugged the implications of living near them aside.
“So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east…Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom” (13:12, NIV).
When we catch up to Lot a few chapters later, in Genesis 19, we discover Lot living in the city of Sodom. That was to have tragic consequences. But before we get to that, consider the implication of flying too close to danger. Consider the moth.
We play with sin. We may not commit some of the sins that the unregenerate do, but we try to get as close as we can so that we “fit in.” We may even sanctify our flying close to the “candle” by telling ourselves that we are just trying to identify with the people we are trying to influence for good. Therein lies the subtle danger. The “why” becomes critical and honesty really is the best policy. Are we really concerned about men’s souls or simply wanting to be as much as possible like the men whose souls we claim to be concerned about? Are we strong enough in the Lord to resist the temptation of flying too close? And when God calls us to fly close (and He does) are we making sure that we stay even closer to Him so that the temptations around us don’t succeed in overwhelming us?
Lot got caught, just like a moth. And it cost him much more that the fertile plains of the Jordan could ever repay him.
Word to the wise.

Comments

  1. Joanne Sher13 January 2012 at 09:14

    Such powerful imagery - and what a great reminder. Thanks, Lynda.

    ReplyDelete

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