The Danger Of Choosing Good Over Best

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every well, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt  as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot Journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Genesis 13:10.

The greatest threat to a life of absolute success is not the prompt occurrence of failure, but the thought or assumption that you’re still fine as long as you haven’t failed yet.  The greatest rivalry of best is not bad, or worst,but good. The reason most believers do not walk in God’ best for their lives is because they have stepped into the comfort of the good of life. The reason most of us couldn't tell until the mercy of God snatched us away from the very dungeon of the devil though we were neck deep in the very issue, relationship, habit and desires that almost cost us our life physically and eternally was because we were comfortable with the excitement of how good we felt. The danger of good is that it makes you feel and think you re okay because somebody is having it like you re-experiencing it, or below what you’re anticipating for yourself. While the quest to be the best puts pressure on us to step up our game ,the excitement  of feeling good makes us believe that we have arrived and as such, we do not  have to lift a muscle any further than we have already done. The truth is; you’re not the first person to be seduced by the ecstasy of good to the extent of losing sight of the importance of the need to lay hold of the best even if it means that you would have to pull off an extra muscle or two to make sure that happens. Adam and Eve were also seduced by what looked and sounded like good, thanks to the craftiness of Satan according to the story of Genesis chapter three. But that’s not the focus of the message this morning, because that is too obvious, although not to many of us. But let us look at a very similar story in the scriptures that was not too obvious, may be because Satan was not mentioned in this very story, ‘The story of Abraham and Lot’s separation from each other.

  Lot just like you and me had a good heart for God, the One who called His uncle Abraham. And this  can be ascertained about Lot for the mere fact that he followed Abraham to a place he had no idea what it looks like or where it’s situated, thanks to the instruction from a God  he is yet to meet or see face to face. But all the same Lot did not rebelled when He was asked by his late father’ brother to accompany him to a strange land. This reality puts Lot in the same hall of fame with Abraham the father of faith. You will agree with me that it takes a man with greater faith to embark on a journey with a supposed man of faith to a place he had no clue about; otherwise he/she must be the greatest among the ranks of the foolish. I took you through this process to show you the character and loyalty of Lot to God through Abraham, and most importantly the fact that in spite of his faithfulness, fell victim to the ecstasy or euphoria of good, and thereby made a choice by the goodness of the plain of Jordan, the very area where God had marked for destruction due to the wickedness and evil practices of its dwellers. And few years down the line lost everything, including his wife and to make matter worst, became the first man of faith to become both the biological father and grand -father of his daughter’s kids.

Friends, this is what happens to a man or woman of God (any child of God) who throw caution to the wind and fail to put God first when making a decision on where to relocate or sojourn. Whether in the literal sense or figuratively as it relate to career choice, relationship as to who to be married to, and even the ministry we join our selves to. Remember, Lot was not consumed by the fire and brim stones that were unleashed on the city where he selected   to live, but he lost everything he had worked for up until that incident.  Friends this is what happens when we choose good over best. For clarity sake; this what a man gets from putting self-gratification and fulfilment above the will and directives of God for his or her life.  The scripture said that ‘he chose for himself’…

There’s something about this story I think you should know; Abraham escaped this reality of Lot not because He was the one God called, on the contrary, he escaped because he was selfless in  his decision when it was time to make a choice of where to finally stay. Unlike Lot who chose a place for himself, Abraham allowed God to determine where he eventually stayed.

How do I know that he was selfless?  Because he allowed Lot to make a choice first before him, And by doing so He gave God the go ahead to make the choice of where to sojourn for him. And Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan (God’ intended dwelling place for him),.. Genesis 13:12.  This was the only thing that delivered him from choosing good over best. Friend the only thing that would stop you from choosing good over God’ best or will for you in any aspect of your life is your act of selflessness, allowing God to make a choice for you.

And this will show how much trust you have in God’s ability to sustain you. Especially when you’re faced with challenges in the very place He has chosen for you to sojourn. As at the time Abraham stayed back in Canaan, the land was nothing like what God said it would be. But through faith and trust in God, the land moved from what it were when he first got  into the land to what God had intended for it to be; A land flowing with milk and honey.

Friends, it takes courage and audacity to choose best over good considering the fact that you will need hope and patience to watch a desert turning into a fruitful land because God has chosen it to be the land where you should dwell.

God bless you

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, help me to be selfless in my every decision.

Today, I receive the grace to choose best over good. And thank you for empowering me to give you first place in all that I do’ in Jesus name,

Amen!