All That Glitters Isn't Gold

Yesterday's post on how to make godly decisions just happened to coincide with my Bible reading on Abram and Lot. It dawned on me how easy it is to opt for what looks good to us rather than taking time to seek God.

The old saying, "All that glitters is not gold" is so true, yet we human beings seem geared to follow what attracts our eye. That tendency got Eve in oodles of trouble, and it does the same for us.

Consider the following Bible passage:

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land. So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord. ~Genesis 13:1-13 (NASB)

As the oldest of the two, and Lot's uncle, Abram had the right to choose first and tell Lot to take what was left, but Abram was a man of faith. In allowing Lot to choose first, he basically allowed God to choose for him.

Lot, so human like the rest of us, couldn't help but notice the fertile plains of the Jordan River valley. He quickly headed toward the cities of the plain, enticed by the glittering sparkles of city life and seeming prosperity. This proved to be a costly mistake. Verse thirteen tells why. If we read on to chapter 19 of Genesis we see Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed because of their sin.

My prayer for all of us for the New Year is that we'll remember that not everything that looks good and profitable IS good and profitable. In fact, if it glitters with golden possibility we should take a step back and seek God and His wisdom.

Lord God, thank You for the wisdom You provide. Teach us to be careful in making decisions based on appearances. Guide us to seek You and Your will in each and every decision we make. Amen.