-written by Emily Greene

Have you ever heard of the story in the Bible where God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? If you haven’t, you should read Genesis 18:16-19:29 to get the whole story. To sum it up, these two cities were so unrighteous that God demolished the two places. Beforehand, he sent angels to rescue Lot (Abraham’s nephew) and his family. God told them to run away and not turn back. As they were escaping, Lot’s wife turned to look at the cities. As a result of her disobedience, she became a pillar of salt.

How often do we look back at our old unrighteous life instead of running with our eyes focused on what is ahead? In Philippians, Paul shares how he strives to live his life: “But I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13b-14)

We know that Christ saved us from our old life of sin. But do we really understand that this means we must live our new life differently? It is easy for us to get distracted by the world. However, when we get caught up in our old ways, we get stuck just like Lot’s wife. Paul says that the best is yet to come; we get to see the fruit of our labor when we are living in the presence of Christ eternally.  Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.”

This week, be purposeful in keeping your focus on what is forward, and not turning back to your old ways. May we never forget that this world is not our home, and we should not live comfortable lives as if this is where we belong. Keep your eyes on the prize!

• Your Love Never Fails – Jesus Culture
• Lion and the Lamb – Bethel
• King of My Heart – John Mark McMillan
• Resurrecting – Elevation Worship

-Emily is serving as the summer intern.  She will be a junior at Mid-Atlantic Christian University and is in the Youth and Family Studies program. After graduation, she plans to work with chidldren and hopes to narrow that focus through her internship at SoHills.