December 28 Daily Devotional

Bible Readings:

Genesis 19:24-26, King James Version:
²⁴Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
²⁵And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
²⁶But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

2 Kings 23:21-25, King James Version:
²¹And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.
²²Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;
²³But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.
²⁴Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.
²⁵And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

Luke 17:28-33, KJV:
²⁸Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
²⁹But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
³⁰Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
³¹In 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.
³²Remember Lot's wife.
³³Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

James 1:5-8, KJV:
⁵If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
⁷For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
⁸A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Devotional:

One of the most pitiful figures of Bible history is Lot's wife. She was so near and yet so far from the kingdom of God. Had she set her face like a flint away from Sodom and toward the Lord, her life would have been spared. And so she remains an example to all generations of the folly of a divided allegiance.

Some might think God too severe in His punishment of this unhappy figure. It might be said that the punishment was not commensurate with her sin. But that is not so. All sin deserves death. But this sin was expressive of a deeper spiritual lack. Lot's wife had not learned that she was to commit herself unreservedly to God and His care. She looked back for her heart was really in Sodom.

How rewarding and soul-satisfying is complete surrender to God in obedience to His commands and submission to His providences. Josiah would go the whole way with his restoration of the true religion to Israel. It was said of him, "And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with nil his heart and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him."

Thus we have this contrast between Lot's wife and Josiah, the one with a divided heart, the other given to God's service wholeheartedly. No Christian can afford to be like Lot's wife. Success in the Christian life depends on leaving all and following Christ. Are we to study God's Word? Then that must come before other reading. Are we to serve God in His house on the Sabbath? Then that duty and privilege must not be set aside for anything else.

Where is your heart today? Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.

"O Christ, be thou our present joy,
   Our future great reward;
Our only glory may it be
   To glory in the Lord."

We are very happy to make available to you this month these devotionals by the late Rev. LeRoy B. Oliver. They originally appeared in The Presbyerian Guardian during the late 1940's.

The description of his "Your Family Altar" page in The Presbyterian Guardian also fits this Web page: "The page is designed for both private and family use, whichever is most convenient in your case. If you do not have family worship in your home, we hope you will begin, and suggest using these readings. They should not, however, take the place of reading books of the Bible, or the Bible itself, through in regular course." It is those who abide (continue) in the Word who are truly Christ's disciples, who know the truth, and who experience freedom in Him (John 8:31-32). May these devotionals be used for the building up of God's people and to the glory of God.