"Abraham came near and said, 'Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?'"
-Genesis 18:23
Ever since Abraham shows up in the Bible, we see how his relationship with God grows. Abraham's faith always gets stronger every chapter, even though God does have to remind him of His promise many times. Abraham has done many things in his life at this point, such as saving Lot from four powerful nations. Whenever we hear of Lot, it seems that he has not really learned to trust in God like Abraham. Lot is living in Sodom, a wicked city. Lot is surrounded by sinful people and wicked acts while living in Sodom.
In both of their lives, Abraham and Lot have both experienced God's grace. Abraham was called from Ur, as a man that had no special qualities. Abraham was chosen simply because of God's mercy on him. Lot experiences God's mercy when Abraham saves him from the four nations that had taken him captive. Also in Genesis 19, Lot is rescued from the destruction of Sodom, the place he was living. In Genesis 18, God visits Abraham in the form of a human being. Abraham immediately welcomes Him into his home, not knowing that it is God. Lot also is visited by God in human form, and he also promptly welcomes Him into his home.
When Abraham realizes that it is God that has visited him, God tells him of His plan to destroy Sodom. Abraham remembers that Lot is living in Sodom, so he pleads to God to spare the city of Sodom, if ten righteous people are found. Abraham's first thought was to help other people, even people who deserved not to be saved. Realize that Abraham did not only plead for the life of Lot, but also for the entire city of Sodom. Abraham is learning the love that God has for people, and intercedes on behalf of others.
Lot is visited by God, and when he recognizes that it is God, he is very hesitant to listen to God. God tells Lot to leave his home and to get away from the city of Sodom, because it will be destroyed. When Lot hesitates to leave Sodom, God actually has to pull Lot away from the city. Lot only ever thinks of himself, never even considering to plead on behalf of others. While this is understandable considering the situation, Lot doesn't even listen to God right away. Here we see that Lot doesn't have a good relationship with God, and doesn't understand who God is.
Both Abraham and Lot had received grace from God. However, they respond to His grace in different ways. Abraham responds to it by developing a relationship with God, and learning His heart. Abraham loves people and intercedes on behalf of them. Lot responds to God's grace by continuing to live a normal life. He makes no effort to build a relationship with God, or understand God. Lot only concerns himself with earthly matters and material gains.
We all have received amazing grace from God, and we have to choose how to respond to it. Are we going to sit around and not let it change our lives? Or are we going to develop a relationship with God and make an effort to understand His character? Building a relationship with God can only begin once we accept the grace that God has given us and respond to it. A sign that we are having a relationship with God is that we start to love others and intercede on behalf of others. Our relationship with God should make us more like Him. We cannot let the grace of God simply pass us by.
-Smart
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