Todays Devotion (Genesis 13-15) Believe that God has the ability to do what He says He will do. God will test our faith. Like Abram, we will be empowered by our faith. Please SHARE on Facebook to spread the Good Word! And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left (Gen. 12:1-3). Abram and Lot had amassed great wealth since they had left the land of Haran and had been following the directions of the Lord. Although they led a nomadic (constantly moving, no permanent home) lifestyle, the large number of herds and flocks that they shared was beginning to make it difficult for them to remain together. Fights over grazing pasture had begun to break out between their herdmen. The strife was a result of their prosperity, but it also revealed hidden spiritual problems. Abram was content to trust in the provisions of God, but Lot was much more concerned with the riches he could receive from the world around him. As a result of his faith in the Lord, Abram was willing to allow Lot to make the choice of which parcel of land he wanted for his own. When Lot immediately responded by choosing the richly fertile Jordan river valley (13:10-11), Abram did not remark on his greed; instead, he graciously accepted his decision. Abrams faith in the Lord was such that he had no fear of losing out in the worldly race for power and prestige. Lot provides us with a classic example of todays worldly-minded, self-professed Christian. His choice revealed the level of faith upon which he operated. While he followed the Lord in that he paid lip service to His existence, he was more concerned with material gain than he was with spiritual blessings. When the opportunity came, he took advantage of the generosity of his beloved uncle Abram and chose the best land by earthly standards. He did not pray and consult the Lord about this decision; he went with the choice that offered him the most financial gain. As a result, Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom (13:12). Lot never recovered from that disastrous decision. When he departed from Abram, he became much more influenced by the world. As his wealth and worldly power increased, his connection to his heavenly Creator decreased. The devil works hard to make us believe that we must constantly strive to be and have the best in all that we do or possess. However, if we truly place our faith in God, then we have no need to fight for our rights. No one ever loses out by putting God first in his or her life! With the Lords support and guidance, we can live victoriously even when faced with earthly losses, problems, heartaches or pressures. We can be confident that even though the enemy goes out of his way to dissuade us from doing so, when we have placed our trust in the Lord, we have chosen the best way to live (I John 5:3-5). Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ (I Cor. 1:3-4). Excerpts from SBC / BiblePathway / Delaney Baptist Church
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:20:04 +0000
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