When we’re young, we’re taught the basics…
- Say “please” and “thank you.”
- Sit up straight at the table.
- Be kind to others.
- Don’t lie.
As we get older, it’s easy to let the basics slip as we get buried under ever-increasing demands.
The same is true spiritually. When we first come to God, we learn the basics of how we’re to live. But over time, we let those basics slip as we get buried under ever-increasing demands.
In Genesis chapter eighteen, God visits Abraham and tells him two things. First, his ninety-year-old wife (Sarah) will soon be pregnant. Second, the city of Sodom (home of his Nephew Lot) will be destroyed.
Though these events are dramatic but don’t miss some of the basics communicated in this chapter.
- Hospitality is important. Abraham’s encounter with God began with an act of hospitality. At that time, hospitality was critical to the survival of travelers, but hospitality is still to be a core practice of God’s people. Hebrews 13:1-2.
- Nothing is too hard for God. At their age, having a child was an impossibility for Abraham and Sarah, but there are no impossibilities with God. Matthew 19:26.
- Righteousness makes a difference. God was willing to spare a city and culture (though wicked) for the sake of the righteous. Our world needs our righteousness. Philippians 2:14-15.
- Never stop interceding for others. When Abraham learned that God was going to destroy the city of Sodom, he kept pressing God to spare the city and his nephew. We should do the same. 1 Timothy 2:1-4.
Have you let these basics slip amidst the ever-increasing demands of life? Which one of these basics do you need to reclaim today?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.