The Lord's Judgment

When the Lord judges sin, salvation may be our only reward. In Genesis, chapters 12 through 19, there's a remarkable story about a man named Lot. Raised under the godly influence of Abraham, Lot gained great wealth through the blessings God gave to his uncle. But then Lot left Abraham and chose to live within the evil influence of cities that were so repugnant to the Lord that he destroyed them from Heaven. As a result, Lot lost everything - including his good name.

Like Lot, when we turn away from godly influences, we can be tempted and fall into sin. God can rescue us - but any blessings that we had before may be lost. And we may then need to learn the hard lesson of trusting the Lord when we have nothing.