SETTLING FOR LESS THAN THE BEST ...
The lesson of ZOAR?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Gensis 19:12 ---23
Romans 8:28
When I was little my older brother and I decided we had enough at home and we discussed running away.
So my older brother and I informed our Mom of our intentions to run away.
Mom quickly agreed and thought that was the thing we should do.
Mom packed our clothes in brown bags, we never owned any suitcases. She also fixed us two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
We walked out to the sidewalk and sat on the bags of our clothes. We got the sandwiches out and ate them.
One of our neighbors pulled by and stopped. We informed him we were running away!
The nice man offered us a ride as far as his house.
My older brother respectfully declined the ride, as Mom had told us if we crossed the sidewalk, we would get a whooping. (I hope you understand a whooping is much more serious than a whipping!)
A little later Mom came out and helped us carry our two brown bags back in the house.
That was my last time to ever run away, and I never even left the yard.
1. RUN AWAY:
**To leave quickly to avoid something - unpleasantness **To leave comforts of home
**Elope **To be out of control **To take away in haste/secretly **To carry beyond limits
2. WATER NOT UNDER PRESSURE WILL ALWAYS TAKE THE EASIEST WAY.
We call this the path of least resistance. While water will always take the path of least resistance, so we too are prone to look for the easy trails in life.
3. EASY TRAILS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE BEST TRAILS TO TAKE?
The road of comfort may be a road of laziness, of ease, and of much ignorance.
Sometimes the worse thing that can happen to you will grow into the best thing that could ever happen.
4. THERE IS A DANGER IN HITCH HIKING AND RUNNING AWAY:
While Running Away Spirits or attitudes tend to grow among God’s people, running away to easy places is not always God’s design.
5. THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO COUNT THE COST!
When we count the cost we tend to think this quart of oil will cost $1.75? But that is a poor attitude approaching the cost factor. It is more than what a quart of oil cost in money. What if I do not buy the oil, and my motor blows up? The cost could easily be $2,000.00. Now, in that light $1.75 is cheap?
What will not reading and studying your Bible cost?
What will unfaithfulness to church cost?
It is always to soon too quit, try again.
Cost? Think about who will be hurt by my words or actions?
Think of the cost of drifting down stream with the current? No plan? No purpose?
Count the cost of Impulsive Life Styles? We can grow a natural tendency other than rational reasoning.
6. ABRAHAM WAS A WISE MAN THAT LEARNED COST, VALUES, AND WORTH!
Abraham was a Son of Promise, yet Abraham faced some lean times and could have easily ran from his
problems.
Abraham learned several secrets to successful daily living. ABRAHAM KNEW TO BUILD ALTARS AND PRAY where ever life led him.
Abraham learned to DIG WELLS for his family. To this day there are wells in the middle east they call
Abraham’s wells. Think how many people have drank from the wells? Abraham did not run away, he put forth great effort to know the mind of God. He walked in God’s plan.
7. LET US CONSIDER A MAN THAT LIVED FAR BENEATH HIS PRIVILEGES!
LOT WAS ONE GIVEN TO RUN AWAY AND LOOK FOR THE EASY.
Lot was Abraham’s nephew --- Lot lived under God’s promise.
God had a Divine plan for Lot. Lot and his family did not properly respect his Uncle Abe.
Lot’s family seem like they just didn’t want to get along with Abraham’s family.
There is no record of Lot building altars where ever he traveled.
Lot made many wrong choices. Lot told a longing in his heart when he pitched his tent toward Sodom and Gomorra. Lot looked to the plains, the easy road, not the mountains of opportunity.
Lot had all the wrong friends, he was satisfied to dwell with the world.
Lot lived in the Wrong place at the wrong time.
Lot was content to just visit with Abraham at Abe’s altars - there is no record of Lot’s own personal
altar?
8. LOT GREW A RUNNING AWAY SPIRIT AND LOT WANTED TO RUN HIS OWN DIRECTION, NOT GOD’S DIRECTION!
Lot - God has a PLAN FOR YOU, CLIMB HIGH ON THAT MOUNTAIN, but Lot would rather run down his own road in his own direction. Lot’s plan appeared much easier than God’s plan.
ZOAR --- means LITTLE, less than, not where you could be...
Gen. 19:12-23
Gen. 19:12 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.
13: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and
the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.
14: 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.
15: And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two
daughters, which are here: lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16: And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand
of his two daughters: the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17: And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, escape for they life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18: And Lot said unto them, oh, not so, my Lord.
19: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast
shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die.
20: Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: oh, let me escape thither,
(Is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21: And he said unto him, see, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22: Haste thee, escape thither: for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23: The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
9. LOT WAS SEARCHING FOR EASY, LEVEL, SMOOTH, EFFORTLESS PATHS.
God has BIG PLANS for Lot high upon the Mountain. God was calling Lot to live above the limitations of the plane.
Are you making excuses why you can’t climb this mountain?
Does the level plane have great lurk to you?
Mountain:
***Raise above the problems and daily menial battles of Sodom and Gomorra. ***Higher
***No floods on mountain tops. ***To get on top of ***To grow, increase, multiply
Plane:
*** Smooth - no bumps ***Easy ***Level (just existence)
*** Skim, no depth ***Little effort
God’s Plan for Lot was high above stink of sin...
Why should God’s people settle for less than what God offers us?
10. GOD’S CALL WILL REQUIRE EFFORT TO GET UP!
WHY SETTLE FOR THE LITTLE OF ZOAR?
God’s Call was UP! --- ARISE (Gen. 19:15)
Get up, start-commence, awake from sleep
New Plan - Fresh - "New Day Lot"
11. LINGERING LOT! LET’S PLAY ANOTHER ROUND OF GOLF?
While Lot Lingers (Gen. 19:16)
Slow - tarry - delay
There may be great sin in Procrastination!
Stay awhile
Reluctant to Leave
12. LOT HAD ALL THE EXCUSES DOWN PAT! COLOR THE PICTURE ANYWAY
YOU LIKE, BUT GOD’S PLANS ARE MUCH GREATER THAN YOUR PLANS.
"Lot, You Are A. Product of Your Choices!"
Your decisions today will have consequences and paydays down the road.
Go ahead, skip church! Skip prayer meeting! Go to the ball game! Watch that TV!
There will be a payday!
13. GOD GAVE VERY CLEAR DIRECTIONS AND NEVER ASKED FOR LOT’S OPINIONS AND EXCUSES!
The directions from God were --- Very Clear (Gen. 19:17)
Escape.
Look not back.
Escape to the Mountain. This would be the Perfect Plan of God.
Effort would be more to go to the mountain than the plain and the littleness of Zoar.
More time would be required to make it up the mountain.
14. HE THAT LEARNS TO OFFER EXCUSES, MAKES LITTLE OFFERINGS IN LITTLE PLACES!
Run Away & Give Excuses
I CANNOT MAKE IT!
If an angel told you to do it --- you could if you wanted to???
If you could not climb the mountain --- the Angel would have carried.
Your Uncle Abraham --- older than you and going everywhere without excuses.
15. LOT IN HIS FEAR AND LUKEWARMNESS WILL NEVER ATTAIN HIS POTENTIAL.
God has A lot/Big Plans - you settle for little....
Zoar means:
***Little/small ***Lack ***Near zero (0) ***Petty ***Immature
***Under garment - no outer protection ***Plane will have Floods
***Settle for less
16. LOT GETS HIS WAY AND HE IS STILL NOT SATISFIED.
Lot always had fear - not where he should be
Gen. 19:30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he
feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
Lot’s lack of trust to get up and go to the mountain, develops in lack of trust in daily life.
***No joy ***No satisfaction - pleasure ***No sense of fulfillment of needs
***Little assurance
When your fear shall come upon you (Pro. 10:24)
Fear & Snare is come upon us (Lam. 3:47)
Lot’s Choices:
Sodom - Gomorra
Strife with Abe
Not built own altars
Linger
Refuse warning
Not dig own wells
Settle with less than best
Lot was a good man, but he would have been better Running to God and not Running away from God’s plans.
We are really imprisoned when we have no desire to be set free...
But we should rather desire to run away and hide in the REFUGE OF GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU!
17. WHY SETTLE FOR THE DISCONTENTMENT OF THE LITTLE?
GO FOR THE GOLD! GO FOR THE GOAL!
The Purpose of God:
Romans. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Intention
Plan
Objective
Seek to achieve
Aim
Goal
HIS PLAN OR LESS????
18. WHY SETTLE FOR FOR THE LITTLE? A MOUSE’S HEART?
Let me CONCLUDE this with a powerful little story.
Once upon a time there was a little mouse. The little mouse lived in great fear all the time. This fear
dictated the mouse’s life. He was afraid of his own shadow. He feared what might happen to him.
The mouse could not learn that fear was doubt. The little mouse’s fear made mountains out of molehills.
Because of his fear he was very suspicious and weary of life.
The little mouse wished he could be a cat, then he would not have to be afraid. One lucky day the
mouse met a powerful magician. The mouse was amazed to watch the magician work. The mouse
went up to the magician in great fear and asked. Please, Mr. Magician, I am so afraid, if I were a cat I would not have to fear. Could you please make me into a CAT? The magician said sure, Abra-ca-dab-bra --- and the little fearful mouse turned into a cat.
The mouse, now turned cat, was so afraid that in great fear he hid in the corner. The new cat saw a dog
and the dog caused great fear. Later, the cat saw the magician again and said, I am so afraid, could you
please turn me into a dog. I will be OK if I could just be a dog. So the magician said, Abra-ca-dab-bra, you are now a dog. The new dog was so proud.
As the new dog ran through the woods, he heard a lion roar and in a panic, fear caused the new dog to run.
The dog was shaking in fear, he knew if he could just be a lion everything would be different.
The dog kept looking for the magician to add his new request, for he knew if he could become a lion he
would have no fear.
Finally the dog found the magician. The dog barked to the magician, please, please can you make me
a lion? If I were a lion everything would be fine.
The magician said, Abra-ca-dab-bra, I turn you back into a mouse. You have a mouse’s heart. I could change
you into anything, but you have a mouse’s heart and all you will ever be is a mouse. You must learn to be
satisfied. You didn’t like being a mouse. You didn’t like being a cat. You didn’t like being a dog. You will not like being a lion. You are a mouse at heart. Abra-ca-dab-bra, be what your heart is. And the dog turned back into a mouse.
Are you wishing to be something or someone else? Is the pasture always greener over there?
God takes care of His people, and though we don’t always see it in such striking and noticeable ways,
the Bible promises that He will take care of those who are His.
God has a plan for you, don’t settle for a mouse’s heart! Don’t settle for Zoar!
Don’t settle for the caves on the mountain side. Step up and grow.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Help me? Pass this on to another?
