What Is Real Success?

GENESIS 13:5-13

What is your definition of success? Simply by mentioning the word "success" positive images immediately spring into our minds! Our spirits are lifted to a desired reality we deeply hope is a part of our future. But seriously... what is your view of success? Some would answer without any hesitation listing financial wealth, significant power or influence, a few homes, fame, and maybe even a few expensive toys. Others may identify a successful business,  a happy marriage and family, or perhaps even a good solid church home. I may be going out on a limb, but I wonder how many folks would say... knowing and satisfying the will of God is success. That is correct; I believe that success in life is discovering God's plan for you and fulfilling it entirely. Another way of communicating this is learning why God made you, and becoming that person...living to do His specifically designed will for you. Understand that God had a purpose in mind when He created you and me. Certainly He has an incredible plan for every child of God! Beloved, the Christian who is directed by the Lord Jesus will lead a successful spiritual life. In contrast the Believer who persists in their self-satisfying plans while ignoring the leadership of the Lord is destined for serious and painful failures.

In this biblical account, the revived Abraham has learned to follow God by faith; he is leading a God-centered life. In contrast though, Lot, Abraham's nephew, persists in carnality choosing his own way living primarily by sight.  Because Abraham walks by faith he receives direction and comfort from the Lord; as a result he leads a successful spiritual life.  Lot, on the other hand, experiences one disaster after another because he habitually capitulates to his fallen motives. He was without divine direction, peace, assurance, and comfort; according to the biblical account, Lot died as a complete spiritual failure. The comfort for Abraham can be seen in the fact that he is led by the Lord, and the catastrophe for Lot is revealed in the fact that he is not!

In Proverbs 14:12, the wise Solomon says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Death is the outcome of insisting on our own way! To punctuate this important warning Solomon repeats it in Proverbs 16:25! If God repeats Himself, it is for our good and admonition--a demonstration of how much He really cares. These passages provide an apt summary for the life of Lot! I submit to you we can learn from the failures of Lot, and it is far better to learn from the mistakes of others thus avoiding some pain, regrets, and struggles. Once again Lot insisted on his own way ahead and this leads to death. That is correct... death to spiritual growth, death to valued relationships, death to God-given dreams, death to our true potential, and death to ever exploring the excellent plan of God for us. And yes, death....

In the life of Lot we witness how one decision can lead to others. How our choices can start us down a road we never initially intended to travel. A path riddled with frustrations, disappointment, disillusionment, and deeply perplexing pain. Our decisions are fundamentally rooted in our character--who we truly are. Lot’s character is revealed by the major decisions he made throughout his life. He chose to pitch his tent toward the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Perhaps he thought about how to farm his herds and how the well watered plains are ideal for raising livestock. It appears he was seeking riches and a better life for himself rather than the path of obedience to God. Indeed he prospered for a while, but this pivotal decision eventually led to his humiliation, the tragic loss of his wife and daughters, and he never realized God's grand plan for his life.

Lot’s life as a Believer was a catastrophe because He never knew the will of God; He did not take a single spiritual step after his salvation; finally he made an absolute shipwreck of all his potential to bring glory to God! His is a totally wasted life! The “WILL OF GOD” should be the desired goal of every Christian; to miss His plan is a gross failure!

Consider these insightful thoughts from The Bible Friend, and entertain for a moment the following points of inquiry. 

WHERE IS HAPPINESS?

Not in Unbelief---Voltaire was an infidel (God Denier) of the most pronounced type.  He wrote: “I wish I had never been born.”

Not in Pleasure---Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did.  He wrote: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.”

Not in Money----Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that.  When dying, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.”

Not in Position and Fame--Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both.  He wrote: “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.”

Not in Military Glory---Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day.  Having done so, he wept in his tent, because he said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”

Where then is happiness found?---The answer is simple... in Christ alone.--The Bible Friend

All the things people think will bring them happiness and success are mentioned and all of them failed to deliver! No... wealth, pleasures, fame, power, and atheism will not bring us happiness or success; they all are cheap substitutes for godly prosperity. So, what were the major contributing factors in Lot’s catastrophic failures? Will it not be advantageous to know how to avoid the path to major failures?  Certainly we will make our share of mistakes, but I believe the average person wants to keep those to a minimum...right? How can we avoid making the same mistakes?  How can an individual break a generational curse that has historically plagued their family tree? When we look back over our lives, what can we learn from our failures? What are the the underlying assumptions that lead to predictable and persistent spiritual failures? If you can appreciate the magnitude of such inquiries, then please keep reading.... The answers are far more practical than philosophical! 


First, consider the single point of failure in Lot's situation is the fact that he has NO SPIRITUAL RESTRAINT! He is not governed by his relationship and fellowship with the Most High God.  He appears to be operating under the assumption that he has all the internal resources within himself to decide well and forge his own path. His faith does not provide a constraining, guiding, directing influence in his experience. He does not live in utter dependence upon God.  It is not that faith in God is somehow deficient, but instead many, like Lot, persist in ignorance of Him as if He is a non-factor. Lot assumed he had enough experience, wisdom, intellectual prowess, and internal fortitude to forge his own way ahead independently. Generally speaking this results in many lives caught in an unbroken cycle of frustration--they each are essentially unbroken chains of failures.... 

Furthermore, some of these well meaning folks never or seldom pause to investigate why! Debt leading to more debt. Mild frustrations with our teens to zero communications with them for days...months. Marriage 'dead ends' that lead to further distrust and the harshest exchanges. Becoming slightly interested in an unhealthy relationship gravitating to a chain of shameful moral failures that lead to wholesale violations of core values. Experimenting with marijuana to 'fit in' with the crew devolving to semi-functional substance dependence finally degenerating to pervasive dysfunctional dependence on a substance. The common thread in each of these scenarios is each person thought they could handle it or that they were still in control. People keep looking to themselves or within themselves in vain.... Beloved, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome. Without a healthy God-centered relationship and deeply held convictions we too can live without the highly beneficial influence of godly restraints. 

With this in mind, there are basically three things that seem to be major factors in Lot’s wrong choice to move closer to Sodom, farther away from God, and his ultimate failures in life. The first of them is addressed below--failures in his devotional life. 

FIRST, LOT WAS WEAK IN HIS DEVOTIONS....

In Genesis 13:5, God says, "And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents."

Lot had flocks and tents, just as Abraham, but Abraham had something that Lot did not. Abraham had an altar! That is, he inquired of the Lord, he worshiped God making sacrifices to Him, he cherished and nurtured a robust relationship with the Most High God, and he had a healthy daily devotional life. While Abraham was far from perfect, he did indeed love the Most High God. God's Word and promises framed his adventures, expectations, and plans for the future.

In contrast, there is not even a hint that Lot had an altar, nor is there any indication that he paused to inquire of the Lord for direction. There is zero record that Lot actually asked God, “Lord, this move is important to me and my family, what would you have me to do?” Lot had no quiet time with the Lord, no devotions, no period of waiting on God and no direction from God!  He had no altar. Lot was doing his own thing! God was not his primary Influencer; God was not the vital Object of Lot's devotion. Lot's beliefs, values, and feelings were not shaped by the Lord. He alone was his resource and source...self-sufficiency. He did not feel he needed God for things related to real everyday life. Therefore, he was weak in his devotions.

Yes, Lot Is a Believer

Is this surprising to you? Yes, it is difficult to tell form the Genesis account of Lot's life and family. Please note what Peter said, in Second Peter 2:7-8, "And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8, (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)".

When and where Lot was saved I am not sure. It could have been when Abraham disclosed his plans to leave Ur or it could have been when Abraham left Haran to come to Canaan (Gen. 12:4-5).  I do not know for sure, but I do know that he was a saved man. 

Peter describes him by the inspiration of God's Spirit, as "just," "righteous man," and possessing a "righteous soul." Therefore according to the testimony of God, Lot was a saved person. Evidently, he hated the sinfulness and blatant disrespect for Almighty God surrounding him. He did not like the foul language, sensuality, perversions of sex, vial music, gross injustice, manipulations of the poor, miscarriages of justice, and complete ignorance of God! He did not participate freely or indulge in the sinfulness surrounding him. No, he was deeply "vexed" by "their unlawful deeds." This means Lot was annoyed and frustrated with the lawless living in Sodom and Gomorrah (Ezek. 16:49). Pride, gluttony, laziness, and neglect of the poor were all sins that characterized Sodom. There were extremely corrupt social and political cartels, strong powerful mobs, complex and ruthless mafia organizations, a widespread practice of sodmy and homosexual orgies, and real estate racketeers preying on widows. These features in the culture of these ancient cities deeply disturbed Lot. The pervasive sensuality and perversion got on his nerves and troubled him deeply. He worried about these people and was concern for their welfare. The way the poor was treated bothered him to no end. The gross miscarriage of justice was perhaps something he tried to correct through social and political means. 

Perhaps he keep matters of faith to himself preferring to be a silent witness.... Maybe he was ashamed of his faith-life and kept it private.... One thing I know for sure is that God viewed him as a "righteous man" with a "righteous soul." Remember, Lot and his family were the righteous persons God rescued when He destroyed this wicked city (2Pet. 2:7-9). This righteous man was grieved and tortured deeply while living among a desperately vial people! 

But still I must say it is an awful thing when people can scarcely perceive that we really are Christians. It is difficult to draw these positive conclusions about Lot from the Old Testament accounts. In the book of Genesis, Lot comes across as a man who lost himself through compromises and very lax convictions. He seemingly was willing to put up with the filth as long as he could gain something of material benefit from the association. Perhaps, like so many today, he was convinced he could handle the situation and control its impact on himself and his family. The truth is... we can choose what we do, but we cannot control the consequences of our choices! Furthermore, it ought to be obvious to anyone associated with us that we truly love the Lord Jesus!  This is not so obvious in Lot's story. While we all execute through the prism of our unique personalities, the Lord Jesus should still shine through. So, though it is difficult to see, Lot truly was a Believer.