Sad Witness

"So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, 'Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!' But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking." Genesis 19:14

This has to be one of the saddest statements in Scripture. Think about it. You know that God has brought judgment against the city and you are doing your best to keep your family safe from destruction and all they can do is laugh at you. The Bible says that Lot's sons-in-law thought he was joking. They stayed behind and were destroyed.

What do you think went through Lot's mind as he was leaving the city and could hear the destruction going on behind him? I can't imagine the remorse. "What could I have done different?" "How could I have gotten them to listen to me?" I'm not sure if they thought he was joking because that was the type of person Lot was or because they simply couldn't believe that God would speak to Lot. Regardless of our personal feelings, God thought Lot was righteous enough to deliver but he wasn't righteous enough to get the attention of his family.

The Bible doesn't record much about Lot's life in Sodom. All we know is that he longed to be there. Abraham gave him the choice of land and Lot chose what he thought was the best. What we do know is that Sodom was depraved. The city was full of perversion and wickedness. And there was Lot living in the midst of it.

If there is one thing I can be sure of it is this: You cannot live in wickedness without it affecting your family. Remember that Abraham asked the Lord if he would spare the city if there were just 10 righteous living among them. The 10 that he was speaking of was Lot's family. God sent His angels into the city, they gave the warning to Lot to get everyone out, yet the only ones that left were Lot, his wife, and the two daughters that were still living at home. By the time Lot reached the mountain of safety, all that was left was him and his two daughters (remember that his wife looked back).

There is nothing sadder that watching someone try to witness to truth when they are living a lie! I'm sure that we have all seen it. Truth is truth but when it comes from an individual whose life doesn't match up it loses its effectiveness. I have said that people like this know just enough truth to be dangerous. Not dangerous to the lost but to the witness of the church!

Romans 6:12-13 says, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." How can we ever being an instrument of righteousness when we continue to live in unrighteousness? When the walk doesn't match the talk then people simply walk away.

Truth of the matter is that what Lot was saying was no joking matter. In the end, his sons-in-law and daughters weren't laughing. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't see the truth because they didn't trust the vessel.

Maybe you have been there. You have longed to be a witness for God but you don't think your life matches up. The good news is that you don't have to stay there. 1 John 1:9 teaches us that if we will confess our sin that God will cleanse us! You may have to overcome the obstacles of a bad testimony but given enough time people will see that you are willing to live in the truth that you proclaim. If you will choose to live under the dominion of grace (Romans 6:14) you will never be trapped under the rule of sin. Get before God today and ask Him to cleanse you and make you whole. When David sinned against the Lord, he asked to have a clean heart created within him, the joy the Lord's salvation to be restored, and that the Holy Spirit not leave him. After those words he said, "Then I shall teach transgressors Your way..."

Through the Lord's help you can turn a sad witness into a strong witness. You may have to move (In fact, you can't stay where you are and go with God) but in the end people will stop laughing and start listening!