Pilot Lesson: Living Righteously in Times of Wickedness

CONFESSION: I'm posting this AFTER teaching the lesson and here's my excuse: Last week I was recovering from the flu until Wednesday and then I flew off to a Writer's Conference in Phoenix, returning Sunday morning in time to teach. So yes, I'm a slacker. But please give me a break, because I'm also in the midst of trying to launch a book that will help kids stay free from pornography addiction.

EPIPHANY! My book will definitely help kids live righteously in a wicked world!

Wow, I love it when I have epiphanies!
PARENT & GRANDPARENT ALERT! speaking of keeping kids safe online, I've included a link below to a new technology to filter and monitor ALL Internet-enabled devices in your home. The son of a friend who is totally tech savvy says he thinks this is the best option out there.
OK, for those of you still interested, here are my thoughts on how we can make good choices while living (and being influenced by) people who are making bad choices.

The Scriptures

This lesson takes its cues mostly from Genesis 13-14 and Genesis 18-19.

Genesis 13-14

• Abraham and his family return from Egypt and settle in "the plain of Mamre, near Hebron" while
• Lot chooses to separate himself and live on the plains of Jordan, near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
• Five kings unite to attack and plunder Sodom and Gomorrah, taking Lot and his family captive
• Abraham finds out and mounts a successful rescue
• Abraham pays tithes to Melchizedek
• Abraham is offered the spoils of war by the Kind of Sodom, but refuses.

Genesis 18-19

• Abraham and Sarah are visited by holy men, who promise that Sarah will have a baby (she finds this humorous)
• The Holy men discuss plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah
• Abraham bargains to save Lot, his nephew
• The Holy men visit Lot and are threatened by the wicked men of Sodom who see an opportunity for some fresh victims of their sick and deviant appetites
• The Holy men (after cursing the Sodomite attackers with blindness) literally pull Lot, his wife and his two unmarried daughters out of Sodom before it's destroyed by fire and brimstone
• Lot's wife "looks back"  and was turned into a "pillar of salt" (Can you imagine how anguished she must have been leaving her grown children and her grandkids behind? I truly have empathy for Lot's wife.)
• Lot and his daughters hole up in a cave
• Lot's daughters get their father drunk, "lie with him" and get pregnant. (They obviously had adopted lenient attitudes toward incest from their Sodomite society.)

So what are we to learn from these two stories about living righteously in times of wickedness?

Giving Up Money and Worldly Rewards to Follow the Lord

Abraham had the courage to mount a rescue campaign to re-capture Lot and his family and others from Sodom and their goods. In those times, it was expected that the conqueror claimed the spoils of war--foodstuffs, animals, money and treasure. And the King of Sodom offered these to Abraham, only asking for his "persons." But Abraham refused.

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine

Abraham has shown this ability to give up worldly advantages before when he gave Lot the first choice of land to settle in. Lot chose the well-watered plains of the Jordan River, leaving Abraham a less desirable location. But the Lord showed that he could still abundantly bless Abraham wherever he lived.

So, how does this ability to give up worldly things help us to remain righteous in a wicked world?

First, what does the world have to offer? 

Money, status, short term pleasure. 

What does the Lord have to offer? 

Enough, peace, eternal joy.

The world will always tempt you to sin in order to get what it has to offer. But if you're clear on what you want eternally (and if you want to make Heavenly Father happy), you'll learn how to forego these things when necessary and keep them all in perspective. 

Abraham was a wealthy man. But he achieved that wealth through prudent and righteous living. And he always put God first.

Notice how he describes God to the King of Sodom? He reminds the King that

God is "the possessor of heaven and earth."

 In other words, Abraham is affirming the truth that everything he has is God's. He clearly understands his stewardship which allows him to faithfully pay his tithes to Melchizedek.

Like you, I've seen people who sadly are deceived. They chase worldly wealth and status and short-term pleasure and give up everything that really matters--eternal family relationships, a healthy, addiction-free body, freedom from the bondage of debt etc.

But even if we aren't in the clutches of materialism, we can all do better. The adversary is always tempting us to shortchange our blessings from God.

"The unexamined life is not worth living" questions:

• What worldly rewards have you given up to follow the Lord? 
• Are there worldly things and practices that are keeping your from enjoying more divine and eternal blessings?

I've heard of man who took a pay cut to move to a certain area, finding out only later the amazing blessings that God had in store for his family there. 

I know of someone who gave up a job in order to work on a very worth-while, though not lucrative, project to help others.

I know of many people who pay their tithing instead of owning a recreational vehicle or a more expensive home.

I know of people who sacrifice discretionary income to fund charitable projects.

I'll bet you know of many examples from your own life of sacrificing worldly things to live the gospel. 

Proactive Ways to Stay Righteous

It's noteworthy that Lot at first only pitched his tent facing Sodom. But he obviously moved into the city at some point. A city he knew was wicked. 

But most of us live in cities where wickedness abounds. Even in my fairly family-friendly, "conservative values" area, sex trafficking is a problem! Pornography is rampant on the Internet and cable channels. People waste endless amounts of valuable time and money being entertained instead of serving others.

So how can we keep from ending up like Lot, so attached to worldly pleasures that we resist rescue attempts from holy beings?

Here are my thoughts:

1. Always pay tithing so you don't get too greedy
2. Always pay a generous fast offering so you don't burn in hell 
   
3. Always thank the Lord for everything you enjoy, because it really is just on loan to you
4. Always go to church to be reminded of spiritual truths and to keep yourself "unspotted from the world." Set a goal for attending the temple as often as you can. 
5. Read the standards in For the Strength of Youth, especially for Sabbath Day observance and Entertainment and Media, and commit to follow them.
6. Establish family media standards! (Here's an article I wrote on Internet safety with some great ideas for developing media standards.) And manage/control access to the Internet-enabled devices in your home. (TIP: check out Skydog to customize and control the Internet use of all of your devices at home)
7. Do family history work. Elder Scott says this will help youth stay strong. 

“Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life.”

There's a lot more, including praying, fasting, service, journal-writing. It all helps!

Making the World a More Righteous Place

So this is a two-pronged approach: protect yourself from evil influences, but get out there and do good! When Abraham heard of Lot's capture, he could have justified staying in his comfortable tent instead of going out to rescue Lot. Didn't Lot bring this on himself by moving to Sodom? But Abraham pulled together a small army of his own people and took on the risk of a military operation. He brought back both persons and goods from Sodom, in addition to Lot and his family and their goods.

Three Questions to Ask Yourself

1. What are you doing to increase righteousness in the world?
2. How does promoting good help to fight evil?
3. How does promoting good help to protect yourself from wicked influences?

One of my favorite scriptures is from Doctrine & Covenants 58:27-28

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
 28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

The power is in us! We have more power than we think! Go out there and use your power for good! Satan may have a hissy fit, but your life will never be boring. Guaranteed.
Let's just end with my favorite photo. Men cleaning a bathroom...and enjoying it!