Bible Text: Gene\u00adsis 13\u201314+19 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | It seems as if Lot had no ethi\u00adcal com\u00adpass, just drifted along and took the path of least resis\u00adtance. Accor\u00addin\u00adgly, his life resem\u00adbles a series of mis\u00adfor\u00adtu\u00adnes. How can we make wise and sus\u00adtainable choices in our lives? Despi\u00adte ever\u00ady\u00adthing, Lot goes down in histo\u00adry as a \u00abrigh\u00adteous man\u00bb. This has much to do with the pray\u00ader of his uncle Abraham.<\/p>\n
With Lot, Abraham\u2019s nephew, many things were not right. But the\u00adre is no exam\u00adp\u00adle that is too bad to learn some\u00adthing from \u2013 even if it is only what we should not do. Through his life expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces, Lot helps us to learn how to make good decis\u00adi\u00adons in life. \tOne of the world\u2019s most important manage\u00adment thin\u00adkers is Clay\u00adton Chris\u00adten\u00adsen, a Har\u00advard pro\u00adfes\u00adsor, leads his life with vows \u2013 an old term for a pro\u00admi\u00adse that can\u00adnot be bro\u00adken. It can also be cal\u00adled an \u00ababso\u00adlu\u00adte com\u00admit\u00adment\u00bb. In his youn\u00adger years, Chris\u00adten\u00adsen obser\u00adved many mana\u00adgers who sacri\u00adfi\u00adced the first part of their lives exclu\u00adsi\u00adve\u00adly to their care\u00aders in order to be able to devo\u00adte them\u00adsel\u00adves enti\u00adre\u00adly to their fami\u00adlies in the second half of their lives \u2013 by now finan\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly inde\u00adpen\u00addent. The only trou\u00adble was that the\u00adse fami\u00adlies were often eit\u00adher bro\u00adken up or had long sin\u00adce left. So Chris\u00adten\u00adsen took a vow and pro\u00admi\u00adsed God not to work on weekends and to be home for din\u00adner on week\u00addays. Which meant he some\u00adti\u00admes left for work at three in the mor\u00adning. Why not deci\u00adde on a case-by-case basis? It is good to have a clear com\u00adpass of values in the big issues of life such as money, sex and power. If you have to make new decis\u00adi\u00adons from situa\u00adti\u00adon to situa\u00adti\u00adon, you lose will\u00adpower. Decis\u00adi\u00adon fati\u00adgue is the sci\u00aden\u00adti\u00adfic term for this. A brain tired of many decis\u00adi\u00adons will opt for the most com\u00adfor\u00adta\u00adble opti\u00adon \u2013 and that is often the worst. Once we have made a com\u00admit\u00adment, we do not have to weigh up the pros and cons each time. The decis\u00adi\u00adon is alre\u00ada\u00addy made and cos\u00adts us litt\u00adle energy. \tAre you curr\u00adent\u00adly in a decis\u00adi\u00adon-making pha\u00adse? How do you make your decisions? Bible Text: Gene\u00adsis 13\u201314+19 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | It seems as if Lot had no ethi\u00adcal com\u00adpass, just drifted along and took the path of least resis\u00adtance. Accor\u00addin\u00adgly, his life resem\u00adbles a series of mis\u00adfor\u00adtu\u00adnes. How can we live our lives wise\u00adly and sustainably?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2917","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nEgo\u00adi\u00adstic decisions
\nAbra\u00adham and Lot were nomads who both rai\u00adsed their own com\u00adpa\u00adny con\u00adsis\u00adting of ani\u00admals and men. Abra\u00adham alre\u00ada\u00addy had 318 batt\u00adle-har\u00adden\u00aded men by his side at that time (Gene\u00adsis 14:14), plus wives, lar\u00adge herds of live\u00adstock and much sil\u00adver and gold (Gene\u00adsis 13:2). \u00abLot, too, who went with Abram, had many sheep, cows and tents, so that the\u00adre was not enough pas\u00adtu\u00adre for all the ani\u00admals. Their pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons were too lar\u00adge to live tog\u00ade\u00adther\u00bb (13:5f NL<\/span>). Becau\u00adse the she\u00adp\u00adherds of the two CEO<\/span>\u2019s were stan\u00adding on each other\u2019s feet, they quar\u00adre\u00adled with each other. \u00abAbram dis\u00adcus\u00adsed the mat\u00adter with Lot. \u00abThis quar\u00adrel bet\u00adween you and me and bet\u00adween your she\u00adp\u00adherds and my she\u00adp\u00adherds must end,\u00bb he said. \u00abAfter all, we are rela\u00adted to each other! It is bet\u00adter that we sepa\u00adra\u00adte. The who\u00adle land is befo\u00adre you. If you want to go to the left, I will go to the right. But if you go to the right, I will turn to the left.\u00bb \u00bb (13:8f NL<\/span>).
\nOn one side lay the Jor\u00addan Val\u00adley, well wate\u00adred and fer\u00adti\u00adle like the Gar\u00adden of Eden or Egypt. On the other side was the bar\u00adren moun\u00adtai\u00adnous land of the Negev. Lot did not need time to think, he cho\u00adse the fer\u00adti\u00adle plain of the Jor\u00addan Val\u00adley. The cri\u00adter\u00adion for his decis\u00adi\u00adon was sole\u00adly sel\u00adfi\u00adsh\u00adness and per\u00adso\u00adnal advan\u00adta\u00adge. He could just as well have left the good land to his uncle accor\u00adding to the prin\u00adci\u00adple of age-honour. What is the basis of our decisions?
\nSo Lot cho\u00adse the Jor\u00addan Val\u00adley, the very area that is now the sub\u00adject of fier\u00adce dis\u00adpu\u00adte. On 1 July, Prime Minis\u00adter Ben\u00adja\u00admin Net\u00adan\u00adya\u00adhu wants to annex tho\u00adse ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adries in the West Bank that Donald Trump\u2019s so-cal\u00adled Plan of the Cen\u00adtu\u00adry allo\u00adca\u00adtes to Isra\u00adel. Howe\u00adver, the\u00adre is mas\u00adsi\u00adve oppo\u00adsi\u00adti\u00adon to annex\u00ading the ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry Isra\u00adel has occu\u00adp\u00adied sin\u00adce 1967 \u2013 inclu\u00adding from Israe\u00adli secu\u00adri\u00adty experts. Per\u00adhaps poli\u00adti\u00adci\u00adans should learn from Abram\u2019s broad-mindedness.
\nAs soon as Lot had moved east\u00adwards with his troop, Abram recei\u00adved a hand\u00adshake from God in the form of a pro\u00admi\u00adse of bles\u00adsing for the land of Cana\u00adan whe\u00adre he stay\u00aded (13:14ff). The rest of the sto\u00adry impres\u00adsi\u00adve\u00adly shows that it is bet\u00adter to be in the place whe\u00adre God bles\u00adses ins\u00adtead of the place from which we per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly expect the grea\u00adtest benefits.
\nSoon Lot and his peo\u00adp\u00adle were taken pri\u00adsoners of war. When Abram heard of this, he went out with his 318 batt\u00adle-har\u00adden\u00aded men and freed his \u00abnephew and all his pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons, all the women and all the other cap\u00adti\u00adves\u00bb (14:16 NL<\/span>). Again some time later Lot gets a visit from two angels. He com\u00adpel\u00adled them to spend the night with him. Bet\u00adween a deli\u00adcious sup\u00adper and brushing their tee\u00adth, a mob makes a racket at Lot\u2019s front door. They demand the two guests so that they can satis\u00adfy them\u00adsel\u00adves on them. Lot nego\u00adtia\u00adtes: \u00ab \u00abMy brot\u00adhers,\u00bb he begs, \u00abdo not com\u00admit such a crime! Look, I have two daugh\u00adters who have never slept with a man. I can bring them out to you. Do with them what you will\u00bb \u00bb (19:7f NL<\/span>). Ori\u00aden\u00adtal hos\u00adpi\u00adta\u00adli\u00adty weighs hea\u00advier with Lot than con\u00adcern for his own child\u00adren. He would have sacri\u00adfi\u00adced his daugh\u00adters to his repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon. For\u00adt\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, the two angels were able to pre\u00advent the sexu\u00adal abu\u00adse. Sub\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly, Lot\u2019s fami\u00adly fled away from Sodom as the angels razed the city to the ground. \u00abThen the LORD<\/span> rai\u00adned fire and brims\u00adtone from hea\u00adven on Sodom and Gomor\u00adrah\u00bb (19:24 NL<\/span>).
\nAt this point, all that was left of all his pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons was Lot and his two daugh\u00adters. Out of fear, he retrea\u00adted with them to a cave up in the moun\u00adta\u00adins. \u00abOne day the elder daugh\u00adter said to the youn\u00adger: \u00abThe\u00adre is no man for miles around here with whom we can sleep, and our father is old. Come, let\u2019s get him drunk with wine and then sleep with him. In this way we will beco\u00adme child\u00adren through our father\u00bb \u00bb (19:31f NL<\/span>). No soo\u00adner said than done. Nine months later, two sons were born, named Moab and Ben-Ammi. They beca\u00adme the pro\u00adge\u00adni\u00adtors of the Moa\u00adbi\u00adtes and Ammo\u00adni\u00adtes. The\u00adse two peo\u00adp\u00adles would later make life dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Israel.
\nIt seems as if Lot had no ethi\u00adcal com\u00adpass, just drifted along and took the path of least resis\u00adtance. It seems as if he never wrest\u00adled with dif\u00adfi\u00adcult ques\u00adti\u00adons like: What are the future con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces of my decis\u00adi\u00adon? or I won\u00adder what God wants me to do. Ins\u00adtead, he lived for the moment.
\nGood decisions
\nA lea\u00adder once said, \u00abNo one is dri\u00adven by chan\u00adce in a direc\u00adtion that hono\u00adurs God.\u00bb Lot is an exam\u00adp\u00adle of how we should not live. At no stage of his life was he a bles\u00adsing to tho\u00adse around him. No salt and light far and wide, except for his wife who fro\u00adze into a pil\u00adlar of salt \ud83d\ude09 when fle\u00ade\u00ading Sodom, becau\u00adse she loo\u00adked back against the ins\u00adtruc\u00adtion of the angels (19:26).
\nHow can we make good decis\u00adi\u00adons in our lives so that we are not always con\u00adcer\u00adned with our repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon and plea\u00adsu\u00adre, but with the good of other peo\u00adp\u00adle? Becau\u00adse that is pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly the mea\u00adning of life. Moni\u00adka Dei\u00adten\u00adbeck-Gose\u00adberg: \u00abWe are on this earth so that it beco\u00admes easier for others to live, to love, to suf\u00adfer, to belie\u00adve through our exis\u00adtence. That is the mea\u00adning of our lives.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn 1519, the Spa\u00adnish con\u00adquis\u00adta\u00addor Her\u00adn\u00adan Cor\u00adt\u00e9s rea\u00adched the coast of Mexi\u00adco. Wit\u00adhout fur\u00adther ado, he declared Mexi\u00adco a Spa\u00adnish colo\u00adny and hims\u00adelf its gover\u00adnor. He then had his ships sunk and depri\u00adved hims\u00adelf and his tro\u00adops of the oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to return. Why did Cor\u00adt\u00e9s give up his free\u00addom of choice?
\n\tPeo\u00adp\u00adle ask me again and again whe\u00adther I cycle to work in all wea\u00adthers and at all times of the year. Yes, this is part of my vow and I don\u2019t have to deci\u00adde from case to case.
\n\tI remem\u00adber one of my youth lea\u00adders from the past. He told us that he wants to live accor\u00adding to Job 31:1. \u00abI have made a coven\u00adant with my eyes that I will not look at a vir\u00adgin with a cove\u00adtous eye\u00bb (NL<\/span>). Why not deci\u00adde on a case by case basis?
\n\tBased on a recent expe\u00adri\u00adence, I inte\u00adgra\u00adted my inner com\u00admit\u00adment to address peo\u00adp\u00adle who I feel have some\u00adthing against me.
\n\tSin\u00adce my app\u00adren\u00adti\u00adce\u00adship days, one of my vows has been to invest a month\u00adly tithe from my wages in the cau\u00adse of God.<\/p>\n
\nBut then the\u00adre are the decis\u00adi\u00adons that are not cover\u00aded by this. The\u00adre I agree with the Ame\u00adri\u00adcan Pre\u00adsi\u00addent Har\u00adry Tru\u00adman (1884\u20131972). When a staff mem\u00adber pre\u00adsen\u00adted him with a decis\u00adi\u00adon, his stan\u00addard ques\u00adti\u00adon was, \u00abHow much time do I have? One week, two days, one hour or five minu\u00adtes?\u00bb His mot\u00adto: Never deci\u00adde ear\u00adlier than neces\u00adsa\u00adry. Use every available space for cla\u00adri\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. But when the time comes, strike and deci\u00adde. Using the given time does not mean being pas\u00adsi\u00adve and wai\u00adting for the famous let\u00adter from hea\u00adven. It is a living space full of inner work, fac\u00adtu\u00adal cla\u00adri\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon and dia\u00adlo\u00adgue with God.
\nWhen we deci\u00adde quick\u00adly, emo\u00adti\u00adons play too big a role. Eit\u00adher it hits a \u00abgood\u00bb ner\u00adve and we are imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly on fire. In this sta\u00adte we deci\u00adde things that we may reg\u00adret later. Or the request goes \u00abagainst the grain\u00bb and we deci\u00adde against it, even though a cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous decis\u00adi\u00adon would be right and God wants to \u00abenlar\u00adge our ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry\u00bb through it.
\n
\nLot was neither salt nor light for his envi\u00adron\u00adment. Com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly sur\u00adpri\u00adsin\u00adgly, he nevert\u00adhel\u00adess goes down in histo\u00adry as a \u00abrigh\u00adteous man\u00bb. The reason: He left Sodom and allo\u00adwed hims\u00adelf to be saved (2 Peter 2:7f). In con\u00adtrast, Jesus needs Lot\u2019s wife as a war\u00adning exam\u00adp\u00adle. She clung to the old life and could not part with her pre\u00advious home and pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons. That is why she peri\u00ads\u00adhed with Sodom. Jesus makes the sto\u00adry very topi\u00adcal: \u00abAnd it will be in the world as it was in Lot\u2019s time. Peo\u00adp\u00adle went about their dai\u00adly busi\u00adness \u2013 eating and drin\u00adking, buy\u00ading and sel\u00adling, plan\u00adting and buil\u00adding \u2013 until the mor\u00adning when Lot left Sodom\u00bb (Luke 17:28f NL<\/span>). Accor\u00adding to Jesus, today\u2019s world func\u00adtions Sodom-style: eat, drink, buy, sell, plant, build. Tho\u00adse who drift through life by chan\u00adce find their lives exhaus\u00adted in tri\u00advia\u00adli\u00adties and stub\u00adborn\u00adness. Jesus equa\u00adtes the fire that fell on Sodom with his coming again. And then the\u00adre is only one ques\u00adti\u00adon: Did you make the right decis\u00adi\u00adon and lea\u00adve Sodom behind? How can it be that Lot mes\u00adsed up so much and yet is saved in the end? The secret was Abraham\u2019s pray\u00ader: \u00abBut God heard Abraham\u2019s plea: though he des\u00adtroy\u00aded the cities whe\u00adre Lot had lived, he brought Lot hims\u00adelf to safe\u00adty\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 19:29 NL<\/span>). This is an encou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adment for all peo\u00adp\u00adle who pray for the sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon and redemp\u00adti\u00adon of their loved ones. Your pray\u00ader has an effect, even if the oppo\u00adsi\u00adte seems to be the case.
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Luke 17:20\u201337<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat vows do you live your life by? Explain your inner com\u00adpass of values!
\n\tWhat do you think of the Tru\u00adman Prin\u00adci\u00adple? What are the pos\u00adsi\u00adble advan\u00adta\u00adges of it?
\n\tJesus com\u00adpa\u00adres life in Sodom with the situa\u00adti\u00adon in the end times. To what ext\u00adent does Lot ser\u00adve as a model for us?
\n\tWhat fee\u00adlings does the thought of Jesus coming back trig\u00adger in you?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"