Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. [2] Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
Paul and Peter in Ephesians 6:14 and 1 Peter 1:13 refer to the mind as the loins of the believer because it is the reproductive part of our spiritual life. Nothing comes into this world without the mind testing and approving it. Lot and Abraham typified an un renewed and a renewed mind, respectively in Genesis 13, which has been the focus of our meditation. Yesterday, we said that the renewed mind has a solemn vow to live by the unseen realities of God. The un-renewed mind, however, settles for less as God’s more. All the devil needed to silence Lot in Genesis 13, was the greeneries of Sodom. Lot was spiritually blind and as a result, he was at the mercy of the kings who invaded Sodom in Genesis 14. The unfortunate consequence of having a mind that sees only the things in the earth realm is that whatever affects the world affects the man with the un renewed mind.
Moving on, there was also a major difference in the attitude of Abraham and Lot when entertaining the angels of the Lord in Genesis 18 and 19.
Abraham: The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. Genesis 18:1-2. NIV
Lot: The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. Genesis 19:1
There are a few things to pick from these scriptures. Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He must have been sun gazing. The tent is a place of prayer. The sun of righteousness symbolizes Christ, Malachi 4:2. Abraham must have been in a meditative state and this was why he would immediately notice the angels, but not just notice them he ran to them. We can typify Abraham as a believer who was meditating on Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness. The bible says, we are to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, Colossians 3:1-2, 16. How? By meditation. Meditation is ‘Hagar’ which means to mutter. We are to mutter the word of Christ to ourselves – “Hagar”. Engage the Spirit of God with the scriptures until your environment takes on the colour of your home from heaven. It’s in meditation, prayer, study of the word and interaction with these spiritual realities that we build our personal history with God.
In the case of Lot, He was at the gates of Sodom in the dark…typifying the believer walking in darkness. He was sitting at the gates, which is where the elders of the land sit. The gate, like in the case of Ruth 4:11, is where important decisions are made. This means Lot was in a place of influence, but had no desire to save the city of sodom when the Angels of the Lord came to him. He did notice the angels coming to him as well, because he was a believer, but his reaction was different. There was no indication of urgency, as was the case of Abraham.
In Genesis 18:3-5, Abraham showed His eagerness to entertain these angels in his Home. Right there, his mindset was to ensure that these angels were taken care of, fed and rested since they had come into his home. The angels accepted Abraham’s invitation. Lot on the other hand also offered hospitality and a place for the angels to sleep and wash their feet. However, the angels declined. This brings us to an important point as we conclude this meditation, God lives in the believer but is only at home with the believer with a renewed mind’s activating faith. The believer with the un renewed mind is in-dwelt by the Spirit but never filled with the Spirit. He contains the Holy Spirit, but is never controlled by the Holy Spirit. He confesses the Lord but doesn’t know the Lord he confesses.
Beloved, spend time gazing at the Sun of Righteousness and in no time, you will begin glistering as the one who has called you to Life and Light. Amen.
Prayer for today: Heavenly Father, I appreciate you. Father, help me to be a person who delights in Your word. Let it be my meditation day and night. Let psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, continue to rise up from within me to You, all the days of my life, that Christ may dwell and be at home in my heart by faith in Jesus name. Amen
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