WHERE HAVE YOUR FRIENDS GONE?
But they [the men of the city] said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Genesis 19:9
Lot put all his hopes for a future in Sodom. He conformed and got himself elected mayor. He was popular as long as he fit in. But when he took a stand against their sexual escapades, all of a sudden his friends turned on him. Can you hear their sarcasm? “Lot came here to live, a foreigner, and now he has become our judge?” How quickly the winds of favor can change when God is absent from relationships.
God made each of us with a need to belong, to be connected and know true fellowship. Satan, ever the mimic, creates his version of camaraderie. Confessions of love and devotion sound good. Words like ‘loyalty’ are even spoken but the true nature of the love that is offered erodes quickly when one person in the relationship draws close to God. At that point, righteousness becomes a sword that creates enmity.
How many have married their soul mate, strength-to-strength and weakness-to-weakness? The relationship works as long as the two souls look to each other to complete them. Their dysfunctional puzzle pieces fit together perfectly. But let one come to Christ and make Him their first love and the puzzle is thrown in the air to the wind of the Spirit. Misshapen by the work of sanctification, the pieces no longer fit. All of a sudden, the friend/lover becomes angry, becomes accusatory, and begins acting adversarial. Words are spoken that are akin to what Lot heard that night. “We were fine and now you have become my judge!”
The only relationships that are stable and can stand the test of time are the ones where both people put God first. The love they offer horizontally is a reflection of their personal alliance with Christ. As they drink deeply of His love, the essence of it spills over.
So, where have certain friends gone? Their love was conditional, based on whether or not I would fit in with their way of life. Though they may see me now as their judge, I am not. When a child of God walks humbly with His Father, the righteousness of Jesus burns holes through all unholy unions.
I’m not going to let any accusation of judgment take me captive. But Lord, convict me if there is a shred of arrogance that feeds their anger. Amen.
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Tuesday, 27 July 2021.
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