"Are you a Monument or a Movement?"

Morning Manna

"Are you a Monument or a Movement?"

But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.  Genesis 19:26

I am a big History Channel buff and I love the stories that try to disprove what happens in the Bible.  It is hilarious, but that is not what this is about.  The other day they were trying to determine how scientifically Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.  As they showed the Salt like pillars around the area the area that was known as Sodom and Gomorrah at one time, I began to think back about the story of Lot.  In short he decided to move his family a thriving city full of commerce and wealth, but full of debauchery.  I would invite you to read the details of what happens in this story, but in the end God sends Lot and his family a message to leave, because HE was going to destroy this City.  Leave the home you built up, the things you gathered, the memories you built up the people you had become accustom to seeing,  all to while saving YOU and YOUR family’s life.  I am paraphrasing of course, but check it out for yourself. 

I relate to this story in so many ways.  I lived “the fast” life for a while myself.  A lot of things were enticing about it.  Being able to do what you want, regardless of the consequences.  During this time I gathered a lot of things as well.  Houses, Cars, elaborate trips to Miami – (I loved my trips to Miami).  Partying with beautiful women.  On the outside many would say this life was good.  Now I am not saying that having things like these are bad in itself, but they become bad when they become your priority or  when you live everyday of your life for those things or people rather than the God who made them.  That’s a different blog for another day.  I say all this to say when God in his mercy and grace grabbed my attention and reminded me of the call he put on my life years previous to my “fast life” hiatus, it set me on a path away from many of the things I had gathered in my life and loved above.  This is where I start relating to Lots wife. 

As I move closer to this vision God gave me, I find my mind sometimes looking back at some of the things I had.  I have also found that at those moments of looking back sometimes even reaching back, momentum stops, or slows down.  Depression seeps in, sometimes becomes regret, discouragement even though the vision that God has shown me is so much more fulfilling!  I find that certain things in my surroundings trigger memory or old feelings.  Again the reaction creates a momentary lack of movement while reflecting.  Well as the scripture above illustrates Lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt, because she disobeyed and looked back. 

Part of Clark's Commentary about this scriptures says "....on this ground a pillar of salt may signify no more in this case than an everlasting monument against criminal curiosity, unbelief, and disobedience."

I believe that she is symbolic of what happens with us in life sometimes, especially if we begin to look back and feel like what we left behind is better than our destiny. 

I propose that the symbolism here is that she became a monument after looking back and longing for what she had left behind after God had told them not too.  We must keep moving forward towards the destiny God has put before us.  The steps he has ordered.  Now we go places and see monuments all the time.  They are great for leisure and reminiscing about what happened in history, but we can’t get stuck there.  We learn from them and move on.  God has a plan and purpose for your life and I am learning that his plan is far better than my plan. 

"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife." Luke 17:28-32.

God put this on my heart early this morning so I am sure it is not just for me.  I encourage you to keep pushing forward towards your destiny.  Follow without question God’s Holy Spirit and divine direction and don’t let the temptation of what you had once before to slow down your momentum or keep you from moving towards the mark.  Also if you have even started moving into God’s plan for your life, repent and start today.  Don’t be afraid to leave your past behind. 

I heard a pastor say before, Satan does not have the power to stop what God puts in motion, so he tries to slow you down, or keep you from moving into what God has already set in place for you.  I believe he tries to this through things like fear, doubt, discouragement, regret, and trying to make you feel like where you came from is better than were you going.  I think of Martin Luther King Jr.  who helped start a movement, although we see monuments of him everywhere, what effects our life most is that movement he helped to start.  Hearing this I hope will encourage you to take evaluation of your thoughts and to become part of the Kingdom movement and not just a monument 

Thanks for reading.  Please feel free to share with others.

Shelton Seworth

CEO of J’agape 

For more blogs visit www.jagape.com and tune into “The ReuP” every Friday @ 7pm CST on www.fbrn.us inspirational