Daily Devotional for Wednesday, April 29, 2009 Have you missed any of our devotionals? Remember they can be found in the Archive section of our Website
http://www.gospelines.com "The Valley of Sin" "Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills." Genesis 14: 10 Sodom and Gomorrah. Ask a dozen people on a crowded bus if they have ever heard of these twin cities and most will say yes, Christian or not. These ancient places are historically associated with humanity's evil actions and God's judgment. The Bible says the herds of Abraham and his nephew, Lot, grew so large that the land would no longer support them together. When the herdsmen began to argue among themselves for grazing rights, Abraham decided to separate from Lot by giving him a choice. "If you go right, I will go left. If you go to the left, I will go to the right," he said. So Lot chose the plush green valleys near the Jordan River, a perfect place for raising his herds. Later he decided the wicked city of Sodom would be his home. This place, as its name suggests, was a city of perversion and wickedness of all kinds. When God said that He was going to destroy Sodom, Abraham bargained with Him to change his mind if ten righteous people could be found there. But there were only four, Lot, the nephew of Abraham, his wife and two daughters. Only Lot's family would be saved, except for his wife, who turned back for one final glimpse of the life she had enjoyed, and God destroyed her, too. Pulpits today speak less and less of sin. In the New Testament, sin is most often translated from the word hamartia, which means "to miss the mark." The vivid picture is created from an archer who may hit the target time after time, and then suddenly the arrow flies away from its mark. There are consequences when the target is missed. In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities were destroyed by fire. Are you missing the mark? Is your life in turmoil now because you have failed to live up to the standards set by God? Paul writes in the book of Romans that "the wages of sin is death!" (6:23) I plead with you to leave your Sodom and Gomorrah lifestyle and seek the grace of Almighty God. Turn aside from those things in your life which cripple, maim, and finally destroy your soul. Mercifully, God sent two messengers to the home of Lot to lead his family away from the tar pit of sin into a place of safety. Time and time again, Jesus has sent you a messenger to lead you back into the way of righteousness. Until now you have rebelled. Yet the God of mercy has given you another and another and another chance to heed His warning. If at last you allow some messenger of God to lead you toward the Kingdom, do not hesitate, and do not look back! Lest you be destroyed as was the wife of Lot. But there is more to that scripture from Paul's letter to Rome: "The wages of sin is death. BUT. BUT. BUT. the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) Hallelujah! Be lifted out of the valley of sin today, and accept the gift of everlasting life from Jesus Christ, the Savior, Lord, and Redeemer of your soul. GospeLines Prayer: Righteous Father, will you withhold your judgment for just a moment longer? There is someone, now, who has just read these words and wants to give their life to You. Oh, God, give them time.just a moment, or a day, or a week to come to You. Spare your judgment for awhile, Lord Jesus, until this sinner becomes a saint, by placing their trust in You, the only hope for salvation. Amen and amen. O. Addison Gethers e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
