Which Righteous Man Do You Want To Be?

Genesis 24:1

1Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

The Bible says that Abraham was righteous. But do you know that his nephew Lot was righteous too? (2 Peter 2:7–8) Yet, both men lived very different lives. Although they both lived under God’s grace some 400 years before the law was given, Abraham was very blessed, whereas Lot lost a lot!
Both men had large herds and flocks. When their herdsmen started quarrelling over space, Abraham took the initiative to make peace. He even let Lot pick the lands that he wanted. Both men were righteous, but one was more gracious than the other.
Lot picked the plain of Jordan, where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were. The plain was well watered everywhere. So he dwelt in the cities there and pitched his tent as far as Sodom. Eventually, he lived in Sodom.
Now, Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible represent a sinful lifestyle. Some Christians think, “Since I am righteous by faith and under God’s grace, if I live a sinful lifestyle, so what?”
Well, let’s learn from Lot. Lot first saw Sodom, then his feet walked towards it and finally he went into it. I like what a great man of God said: “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.”
What did Lot end up paying? He was captured when four kings plundered Sodom and Gomorrah. And even after Abraham rescued him with the help of God, he did not learn his lesson. He went back to Sodom. Some Christians live from one bail-out to another. God delivers them from, say, debt, and they go right back to borrowing money! Sodom and Gomorrah were eventually destroyed. Lot escaped with only the clothes on his back and lost his wife in the process.
Beloved, you are the righteousness of God in Christ. God is the source of all your blessings, not the sinful pleasures of the world. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you who you are in Christ and what you already have in Him. Choose to be like Abraham, who had a heart for God, and like Abraham, be blessed in all things!