Man the gates

I Chronicles 26 begins with the assignment of the gatekeepers. It names all the tribes of gatekeepers and then it wraps up with this little phrase.

 "They were assigned by families for guard duty at the various gates, without regard to age or training, for it was all decided by means of sacred lots." (I Chron 26:13)

I want to remind you today that you are a gatekeeper. God has placed you in your family, church, and community as a controller of what comes into their lives. He has assigned you to keep watch over what is allowed to enter their lives. Note what the verse said "without regard to age or training". You don't get a pass at guarding the gate. It doesn't matter your age. You can't be too young. You can't be too old. It doesn't matter your ability. God is not waiting for you to get strong enough, smart enough, or popular enough. You are a gatekeeper. Period. It was decided by sacred lots.

What is a sacred lot? For the Israelites it was simply a way to choose. Like drawing straws or eenie-meenie-minie-moe, it was totally a game of chance. Could you imagine the responsibility of guarding the city coming down to chance? Well, that's not exactly accurate. The term "sacred" means that their was a divine determining factor in the choice. Proverbs says it like this, "We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall."(Prov 16:33) As the little green aliens from "Toy Story" would say, "you have been chosen."

So what does all of this mean? It means, "Be alert." You have a duty to fulfill. And there are lives hanging in the balance depending on how effective you are in your duty. This is the weight of the gatekeeper. So open your eyes. The enemy is not trying to distract you so that you will keep your eyes focused on him and fall in a pit. He is trying to keep your eyes off the gate where hordes of enemy forces are waiting to invade. So "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." (I Peter 5:8)

God chose you. You are ready for this task. Stand strong. Bolster your faith! Be the gatekeeper. Your family, church, and friends will appreciate it. Even if they never notice. You are a gatekeeper.

Little place

When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” “Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged. “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.” “All right,” the angel said, “I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village. But hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” (This explains why that village was known as Zoar, which means “little place.”) (Genesis 19:17-22 NLT)
As I read this today I had this thought, "How many times has God tried to call me to the mountains but I refused to go and settled for the little place?"

There are two reasons I can identify that Lot rejected the mountain:
1)Fear - "Disaster would catch up with me there and I would soon die."
Why does fear continue to be a trump card in our Christian walk? It's as if we look to God and say, "I know you think that's the best place for me but I'm not sure you've really thought this through." Remind yourself this, the creator of the universe is probably able to discern the best path for your life.
2) - Proximity to sin "See there is a small village nearby"
Are there things in your life that keep you connected to sins you struggle with? The scripture isn't clear on whether or not Lot was involved in the riotous lifestyle of Sodom. But to steal a line from the magic 8 ball "all signs point to yes." Understand, there is a spiritual draw within the power of sin. And you have to ask the question, if Sodom was so detestable to God thy had to be destroyed why did Lot want to live just outside of it?

But perhaps the scariest part of this story is the fact that when Lot asked not to go to the place God wanted to send him the angel allowed it to happen. So again I ask, How many times has God tried to call me to the mountains but I refused to go and settled for the little place?