For Peace Sake
8 Then Abram said to Lot, “We are relatives, and your men and my men shouldn’t be quarreling. 9 So let’s separate. Choose any part of the land you want. You go one way, and I’ll go the other.” 10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole Jordan Valley, all the way to Zoar, had plenty of water, like the Garden of the Lord or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley for himself and moved away toward the east. That is how the two men parted.
Genesis 13:8-11 (GNT)
No Fuss
Abram’s approach is noteworthy. Without any indication of an argument, (of course we do not know the inner rage that Abram might have been experiencing) Abram makes things easy for Lot. He gives Lot first choice, so that it can never be said that Abram cheated Lot or put him at a disadvantage.
Like any right thinking human, or so it would seem, Lot selects the best place (by human standards)
One can only imagine how Lot must have felt that he had overpowered Abram…that he had won! No doubt, if you step back and look at the situation…wasn’t Abram being weak? foolish even?
God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways
BUT God’s ways are so much different from ours. If we continue reading, we see that eventually, the very place Lot chose for himself became a place of ruin and a place where he almost lost his life (*sidenote* it was the same Abram (renamed Abraham) who had to plead for Lot’s life to be spared! Is there even an iota of doubt that Abraham was really saved?…we’ll discuss how to keep loving those who have hurt us, in another post)
In our current day, we may not have flocks and herdsmen as our possessions. Still, the reality is that there are situations which require us to see beyond the material possessions we stand to lose, while holding fast to Godly principles such as that of ‘loving…in spite of’ and choosing peace at all accounts.
When we take this approach, although it may mean that we are relegated to places of emptiness or lack, for a season, GOD will always provide abundant blessings in His perfect time. AND in the in-between time, you can be sure that He will not fail to provide an abundance of PEACE!
Our Heart
It can be very frustrating to be faced with a situation where you know you are in the right, and still the odds are against you. It can be painful when what you have worked so hard for is under threat. But sometimes, God requires us to just let go and allow our enemies to win the earthly/temporal/ physical battle, and trust that He will cause us to win the heavenly/permanent/spiritual war instead…all for His glory.
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Agape,
Kareem Lee |Founder |Hummingbird Journeys
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