God is holy and righteous; He has no tolerance for, nor does He allow any sin to go unpunished. Sin is against the pure and sanctified nature of our Lord, making it unacceptable in any form within His realm of governance. So, the story of Lot in the Bible leaves me with some questions.

Lot moved into a grossly immoral city. The Bible makes it clear that morals were virtually non-existent in the city. Lot was surrounded by ungodly lifestyles and philosophies. Besides the natural beauty of the place, the city became very lucrative to Lot, as he rose to become a very successful businessman.

The city became so wicked that God prepared to destroy it with fire. He sent heavenly messengers to warn Lot to gather his family and flee before the fire fell. His daughters had married husbands, but their husbands did not believe Lot, and chose to stay in the city.
Lot took his wife and two daughters, along with what they could carry, at the prompting of the angels and made their way out of the city.

They had been warned not to turn back to look once they crossed the city limits. Lot’s wife thought it wouldn’t hurt to take just one peek, and was immediately turned to stone. Once Lot and his daughters were safely away, the fire fell, and the city was incinerated, along with everything and everyone left there.

In the days following, Lot’s daughters came to the conclusion that they were destined to remain childless, and one after the other got their father drunk, and had relations with him. They both became pregnant by their father and delivered sons.

The story of Lot seems to be shrouded under a cloud of selfishness and bad consequences. There seems to be little praiseworthy of the man, and yet, as God recalls him through the eyes of the New Testament, he’s made out to be a remarkable testimony for Christ.

Peter was inspired to write the following of him in…

2 Peter 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

In the New Testament, God looked at Lot through the lens of what His Son had done for him on the cross. Lot was a saved man, called here a ‘just’ man. As such, he was viewed as righteous before God because his sins were washed in the blood of Christ.

Maybe we believers should attempt to see other Christians a little more like God does; it may stifle much of our criticism.

The majority of humanity will spend their lives working for somebody, whether it be for an individual or a company. Sometime around high school, or in or after college, we get serious about getting a job. For some, the motivation comes out of a craving for things; for others, it is the next step in growing up. Going to work is as much a part of life as breathing and eating.

At some point along the way, we each found that working for someone can have its share of difficulties. Some bosses are genuinely kind and concerned about the welfare of their employees; others not so much. Life can be challenging if you find yourself working for a ‘bad’ boss. Some bosses take their frustrations out on their employees, making the situation even worse. There are many working environments that are simply toxic to work in. When the employees daily dread coming to work, there’s something wrong.

Paul gave instruction to the new believers at Ephesus. He dealt with many different levels of responsibility, but when he got to those who were ‘servants,’ or employees, he made a statement that should encourage workers in every environment. In his discussion he wrote in…

Ephesians 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Paul must have understood the difficulty many folks face as they work under a boss. Some jobs seem ‘dead end,’ where there is little motivation and even less recognition. Some situations offer no chances for advancement, and few opportunities for salary increases. When in an arrangement like this, any additional pressure can be overwhelming.

It is possibly with these thoughts in mind that Paul gave the Ephesians an encouraging truth. He told them that whatever ‘good thing’ they do, they would receive it back from the Lord. This promise is for all, not just those who are freemen, but also to those who are enslaved.

The main truth is that God does not miss a thing in the lives of His children. The hardships that they are facing do not go unnoticed. God carefully watches and is always there for us as we reach out to Him with our needs. It is vitally important to remember that we are loved by our God in a way that is beyond human understanding or description. The hallmark example of God’s love was the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. After that, what would God not do for His children?

So, how does this work? When we do something good, in what way do we get the same back? I think there is a two-fold answer to that question. First of all, God is always keeping score. He is glorified when we reflect His image and do good. For each good thing, we are adding to our Heavenly bank account. The Bible teaches that God is preparing rewards for the good works of His children. When we enter glory, we will receive those rewards and will joy in how the Lord was glorified in each event.

It would do us all well to remember during those frustrating and sometimes painful days at work, that we are being closely monitored by our loving Lord. He is there to offer love and support; and is keeping careful account of each good deed we do. Thank God He is always there for us!

The testimony of Paul the apostle is truly remarkable. His missionary journeys across much of the known world at the time were blessed beyond measure. What other servant of the Lord endured so many persecutions for the faith? He suffered frequent beatings, imprisonments, stonings, and even shipwreck. Instead of slowing him down, each trial seemed to inspire him to greater accomplishments.

What was it that drove Paul so? What would cause a man to be willing to be severely beaten, then get right back up and face it again the next day?

Paul’s testimony begins with a flurry of activity as Paul, on behalf of his beloved Judaism, tried to rid the world of Christians. He had risen through the ranks of the Pharisees, earning an elevated position tasking him with personally delivering summons to Christians to be arrested, tried, and sometimes killed.

The same Paul who began as a Christian killer, became the world’s most aggressive ambassador for Christ. What was it that caused such a dynamic change? Paul himself gives an answer to that question as his testimony continues in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 1:23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

Paul had earned such a fearsome testimony, believers in the area had a hard time coming to grips that he had sincerely changed. In their minds, Paul must be plotting against them by pretending to be one of them, with plans of using anything he learned of them against them.

It took some time, and some convincing, but with the help of some well-respected leaders like Barnabas, Paul was eventually welcomed into the church where he began actively preaching Christ.

Paul described the Lord’s calling upon him in an earlier verse. He said, ‘…it pleased God…and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in Me, that I might preach Him among the heathen…’

That which transformed Paul from a murderer of Christians, to a firebrand for Christ was the grace of God upon his life. God had called him by His grace.

We often take the grace of God for granted, as it is so plenteous and available in our lives. But, for Paul, God’s grace was his lifeblood. God’s grace had saved him from a life of deception, to a life filled with blessings that would last forever.

Paul relished his new life in Christ. He was a zealous man by nature, God’s grace had redirected it into that which would bring Him honor and glory. Paul’s story is not unique with him.
Every believer is a trophy of God’s grace. Paul simply recognized its beauty and importance in his life, and let it guide him and motivate him for the service of Christ.

Thank God for His everlasting grace.

The gift of salvation that was purchased for us on the cross, and freely offered to us in response to our faith, is a present so wonderful it will take the far reaches of eternity to explore its greatness. Following his time alone with Christ in solitude after his transformation on the road to Damascus, Paul emerged filled with truth of the gospel.

The Lord Jesus had personally taken Paul through a crash course in the purpose behind his death, burial, and resurrection. As a result of that blessed experience, Paul expressed much of his exciting truth in his letter to the Ephesians. In speaking of his redemption in Christ, he wrote in…

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

The beginning of his letter is filled with doctrinal truth revealing the glories of his new relationship in Christ. He glorified the Lord for his redemption, emphasizing the necessity of Christ’s shed blood. He thrilled in the forgiveness he had received, realizing all of his past, present, and future sins were covered by His blood. And, he mused on the basis for Christ’s offer of salvation being the ‘riches of His grace.’ The whole package of redemption was because of His glorious grace, His undeserved goodness to us.

In the next verse Paul revealed some of what made Christ’s gift so remarkable, and so incomprehensible. He said that Christ ‘abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.’ The thought is that His gift of salvation was a gift which was richly overflowing to us. It was so great, and so abundant, it couldn’t be contained; it overflowed.

That which was overflowing our way was ‘in all wisdom and prudence.’ In other words, the process of making a way for sinful man to be reconciled to his offended God was a work that drew from all of His wisdom, and done with His rich reservoir of moral insight. It is significant that Paul quantified God’s wisdom here; he said He abounded toward us in all wisdom.

Suggested in this word is the difficulty that sin caused in God’s creation. When God looked at His creation after the sixth remarkable day, He admired His work and said, ‘It is good.’ Everything He had done was perfect, and created to seamlessly work together to His glory. Everything was according to His masterful plan and was truly remarkable, until man, God’s ultimate creation, chose to forsake God and go his own way. All of a sudden, God’s perfect work was thrown in disarray.

Reaching deep into His storehouse of Divine wisdom, He devised a plan that could restore what man had broken, God’s relationship with man. Summoning His vast supply of wisdom and prudence, God sent His only Son to pay for man’s selfish sin, and provide for man the means of entering once again into fellowship with His Creator.

Thank God for His wisdom and prudence!