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Genesis 18 tells of God’s judgment against the city of Sodom. God decided He would destroy the city for its wickedness. However, Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom for the sake of the righteous within the city. God agreed to spare Sodom if He found ten righteous souls within (verse 32).

In Genesis 19, Abraham “looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and looked, and saw that the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace” (verse 28). God had evidently not found even ten righteous individuals in the city.

Yet, notice something about Abraham’s nephew Lot (who dwelt in Sodom at the time) that is brought out in the description of God’s judgment against Sodom in 2 Peter 2:6-8: and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds):

Though Genesis does not give a lot of details about Lot’s righteousness, it is clear from 2 Peter 2 that he was a righteous man in the midst of unrighteousness.

This pattern is seen throughout the Bible. God’s servants are often surrounded by unrighteousness. God’s faithful children often behave very differently from those around them.

This is not surprising when we consider what Jesus taught in Matthew 7:13-14: Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.

To be among the righteous few, we must take the strait and narrow path. We must not strive to be like the ungodly around us, as the Israelites of Samuel’s day did (1 Sam. 8:5,19-20). God’s people are to be set apart from the sinfulness of the world (cf. 1 Pet. 2:9; 2 Cor. 6:17).

This does not mean we must avoid the world, but rather we must allow God to rule our lives and thereby shape our character and conduct.

We must change our thinking to see good for what God says is good and evil for what God says is evil (Rom. 12:9).

May we be “blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,” (Phil. 2:15). May we live righteously amid unrighteousness.

– Michael Hickox

At the start of a new year, it is common for individuals to make resolutions. At this and all times of the year, the Bible teaches certain things we should each resolve to do that are of great significance. Consider a few “resolutions” we can make at at any time during our lives on earth that are in line with what God commands of us in His Word:

Put First Things First: One thing we should always determine to do is to “put first things first” in life. Notice what Ecclesiastes 12:13 says in relation to this: This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

There is nothing more significant in our lives than submitting to what God commands of us. One who is not a Christian should thus resolve to get “into Christ” as God commands, through faith, repentance, confession, and baptism (Gal. 3:27; cf. Acts 2:38 and 8:36-38).

Those who are New Testament Christians should determine to prioritize rightly. Recognizing that we belong to God (1 Cor. 6:19-20), we should resolve to let Him direct us as He pleases.

Pray Fervently: A specific way God wants His children to obey Him is through fervent prayer. The inspired apostle Paul commands, “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). If we do this, we are told, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (verse 7).

God not only allows us to go to Him in prayer with problems we face…He wants us to do this. Notice 1 Peter 5:7: casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He careth for you.

Prayer is an expression of our dependence on, and faith in, God. When it is done properly, it has tremendous power (Jas. 5:16).

We should recognize the value of prayer, have gratitude that leads us to thank God through prayer (1 Thes. 5:18), and earnestly cast our cares on God while asking for His help in our own lives and the lives of others (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

Study Diligently: We should also resolve to diligently study God’s Word. In 1 Peter 2:2, the apostle Peter commanded the Christians he wrote to, “as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby.”

We should determine to be like the noble Bereans described in Acts 17:11 who “received the Word with all readiness of the mind, examining theScriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” The Bereans’ behavior emphasizes not only a hunger and thirst for the Word, but also a thoughtful consideration of things taught as doctrine, with a sincere desire to know if such things are from God.

We should all have a longing to know the truth, and to apply that knowledge as needed in our lives (Jas. 1:22).

Build Character: Another specific way God desires His children to serve Him is by developing the character He desires. At all times throughout the year, we should strive to be growing in character to better please God.

Consider, for instance, God’s command to “put on…a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering” (Col. 3:12). We are also commanded “add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Pet. 1:5-7). It is evident that God expects us to grow in character.

Resolving to follow these and other instructions from God’s Word will be profitable not just for a year, but for eternity. May we be resolved to please God by obeying what He commands us.

– Michael Hickox

Proverbs 16:18: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

The Bible repeatedly stresses the consequences of becoming puffed up with pride. This is taught through direct statements and through examples of people whose downfall is connected to their pride.

Consider, for instance, the fall of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to become wealthy and powerful from an earthly perspective (Daniel 4:22).

Nebuchadnezzar let his success “go to his head,” and became arrogant. As “he was walking in the royal palace of Babylon…The king spoke and said, Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:29-30).

God answered the king’s arrogance by saying, “O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you” (verse 31). Nebuchadnezzar came to realize that “those who walk in pride [God] is able to abase” (verse 37). This is precisely what happened to him.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s descendant Belshazzar was also haughty. Belshazzar knew that when Nebuchadnezzar’s “heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne” (Dan. 5:20). Yet, Belshazzar behaved in a way that led Daniel to tell him “You, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven;” (verses 22-23). Belshazzar’s pride led to his fall (verses 28-31).

Years before, a man named Uzziah was king over Judah. Initially, Uzziah “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chron. 26:4). “But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense” (verse 16).

Some priests tried to stop Uzziah, but the king resisted..“and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord” (verse 19).

Uzziah was a leper until the day he died (verse 21). His pride led to his fall.

The book of Esther details the pride of Haman, and his subsequent fall. The book of Obadiah speaks of Edom being deceived by pride, and the humbling God would bring upon them (cf. verses 3-4).

Scripture makes it clear that God humbles those who are puffed up with pride and refuse to humble themselves (Matt. 23:12; Luke 18:14). May we heed God’s warnings, and humble ourselves under His mighty hand (1 Pet. 5:6).

– Michael Hickox

Matthew 16:26: For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

In Matthew 16:26, Jesus showed the folly of focusing one’s life on earthly pursuits while disregarding God.

The writer of Ecclesiastes is one whose life demonstrates this principle. He sought pleasure through earthly wisdom, hobbies, possessions, fame, prestige, and the like (Ecc. 1:16-2:10). After gaining all of this, he called it “vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun” (Ecc. 2:11).

Much of the things he sought after were not wrong in themselves, but they were prioritized wrongly. Many live today with similar misplaced priorities.

Understanding what lies after our brief time on earth should encourage us to focus foremost on being right with God (see Heb. 9:27; 2 Pet. 3:10-12).

Our life on earth is likened to “a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away” (Jas. 4:14). The chief thing each of us can do is to please God and thus prepare for what comes after our brief time on earth. May we remember Jesus’ words, and choose the eternally profitable path of obeying God.

– Michael Hickox

Jesus commanded in John 7, “Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (verse 24).

Consider some things taught here and in other passages about judging others.

Judging is Necessary – Perhaps one of the most well-known verses in Scripture is Jesus’ command “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged” (Matt. 7:1).

Some may claim that this teaches we should never judge others. Yet, later in the book of Matthew, Jesus gave commands concerning how to handle erring brethren (Matt. 18:15-17). These commands are among many that imply a need for judging others.

More will be said later about the context of Matthew 7, but it is clear when looking at the totality of God’s teachings that judging others is at times necessary. Furthermore, when judging is done right, it is a good thing rather than a bad thing.

We Must Judge Fairly – While judging is a good thing when done right, it can do great harm if done wrong.

A key to avoid judging wrongly is to judge others with fairness.

In the John 7 passage, Jesus preceded His command to judge righteously with an illustration of how the Jewish leaders were not doing that (see verses 21-23). They were guilty of judging Jesus unfairly.

We must not make false or careless accusations against others. When judging, we should gather available facts, and fairly consider those facts.

We Must Judge According to God’s Law – Furthermore, when we judge others’ righteousness, we should do so according to God’s commands, and not according to the opinions of man.

Notice what the Holy Spirit through Paul commanded in Romans 14:3: Don’t let him who eats despise him who doesn’t eat. Don’t let him who doesn’t eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him.

The context of this command deals with things God has given no preference concerning. If God neither requires nor forbids something, we have no right to accuse someone of sin because he or she chooses a different option than us.

If we judge someone as guilty of sin, such sin should be something that God teaches is wrong, and not merely based on our own opinions.

We Must Not Judge Hypocritically – Something else that is involved in judging righteously is to not judge hypocritically.

This takes us back to the passage in which Jesus said “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged” (Matt. 7:1). The point Jesus was making in this passage is driven home in verse 5: You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.

It can be much easier to see faults in others than to see faults in oneself, but we should foremost focus on things we ourselves need to correct.

We Must Judge with Love – Another point concerning judging that is implied in Scripture is that judging should be done with love (1 Cor. 16:14).

When judging others, the goal should not be to “bring someone down,” “win” an argument, exalt ourselves, or any other selfish focus. Rather, the goal should be to please God and benefit other(s), including the one guilty of sin. Galatians 6:1 teaches the need to point out faults “in a spirit of gentleness.” Such will be much easier if we have the love and humility we should.

Perhaps part of the reason judging is often viewed negatively is because it is often done unrighteously. The answer to this is not to assume that all judging is bad, but to do our part to ensure that we judge rightly.

God has told us all we need to know to judge others rightly. May we heed His Word and “judge righteous judgment.”

– Michael Hickox