Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said this concerning the decision Lot made to pitch his tent toward Sodom:
“Separating evil from our lives has become even more essential since our homes are wired to bring much of what the Lord has condemned into our own living rooms if we are not vigilant. One of the most difficult challenges in our lives is to be in the world but not of the world (see John 15:19) [see L. Tom Perry, ‘In the World,’ Ensign, May 1988, 13–15]. Gospel doctrine makes it clear that we must live in this world to achieve our eternal destination. We must be tried and tested and found worthy of a greater kingdom (see 2 Nephi 2:11; D&C 101:78). We must do as Abraham did when he pitched his tent and built ‘an altar unto the Lord’ (Genesis 13:18) and not do as Lot did when he ‘pitched his tent toward Sodom’ (Genesis 13:12)” (“In the World but Not of the World,” Ensign, Feb. 2006, 53).
Genesis 14:1–12. Small decisions can have large consequences
President Gordon B. Hinckley explained that small decisions can have large consequences:
“I heard one of my brethren tell of a recent visit he made to a prison. There he noticed a young man, handsome in appearance and intelligent in his ways.
“My brother said to the prison official, ‘What is that young man doing in here?’
“The reply was that one evening he had taken his mother’s car, had obtained some beer and drunk it, and then, out of control of himself, he drove the car down the sidewalk and killed two girls.
“I do not know how long he will be in prison, but I do know that he will never entirely get over his feelings concerning the act that put him there. On such small hinges turn the gates of our lives. Little mistakes, which seem so unimportant in their beginnings, determine the eternal courses we follow” (“The Quest for Excellence,” Ensign, Sept. 1999, 2).
President Thomas S. Monson taught:
“It has been said by one, years ago, that history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. Our lives will depend upon the decisions which we make—for decisions determine destiny” (“Decisions Determine Destiny,” New Era, Nov. 1979, 4).
