Proper preparation

By: Pastor Raymond Desadier

Car maintenance is not an area where you should procrastinate. If you put off getting new tires then you will end up having a blowout, not when you are on a leisurely drive but at the worst possible time when you are already late for an appointment! The same applies to filling your tank with gas or getting a needed repair. You never know when an emergency will happen so you need to ensure your mode of transportation is fully prepared for such an event.

GENESIS 19:14 “And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”

In the book of Genesis we see that Lot did not do a very good job of maintaining his spiritual vehicle. While it does not go into great detail about his lifestyle, it is probably safe to say he was not living righteously since he chose to reside in the wicked city of Sodom. The fact he was so easily seduced by his daughters after they fled also shows he was not a man of very strong conviction.

When the time came to warn his friends and family about the pending destruction they were faced with they did not take him seriously. Put yourself in the shoes of those he tried to warn: if someone you knew who had a reputation of living sinfully came to you one day saying he had received a message from God directly from two angels, how seriously would you take him? It is hard enough to believe divine intervention from Godly people much less a sinner.

What if God placed it on your heart to tell a person or group of people they were going to die in a car wreck next week? Have you maintained a healthy enough Christian reputation with them to where they would be inclined to believe you or would they mockingly laugh at you? Would they discredit you just as those in Sodom did Lot?

The fact is we have already been told by the Bible of a pending disaster facing all unbelievers. Have you made it a point to share this with those dear to you or are you putting it off just like attending to your vehicle?

At any given moment, God may ask us to sound a warning or share a thought with someone. We need to properly maintain our Christian reputation, the very vehicle used to deliver such a message. While you may be a believer like Lot, if you continually put yourself into a sinful environment then you will lose your credibility, and if you put off addressing this problem then it may come back to bite you at the worst possible time.