01-Genesis_13_09

01-GENESIS 13:09

Date: 5/25/1990
Keywords: cares, faith, warning

5/25/1990
13:09

"[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."

Abraham was promised a land. His faith allowed him to say the above words to Lot. He knew God would be true to His word, regardless of what land Lot picked. In fact, God, who can turn the heart of the king, could influence the decision that Lot made.
The test of faith in God is not always with God's decisions, it is with the decisions of other people. Had Abraham known Lot's immediate future, he may not have given him this choice.
Lot, on the other hand, having made a choice based on greed, was influenced for this life even though his eternal destiny was secure. He lost his family and his usefulness to God through a very unwise decision. Yet Abraham, in unselfishly giving Lot his choice, was blessed. He had to trust God with the future of his nephew and how He dealt with Lot's greed.
I guess I am trying to relate this incident to my own situation. My son is making selfish choices. He will have consequences. I cannot selfishly (for my own comfort) do anything about it. Love for him will warn him but will not force control over him. And my heart feels like Abraham's must have when he later prayed and asked God to spare the city because Lot was there, slipping from the outskirts to the middle, pulled in by the downward tug of selfish choices.
APPLY: Trust God. He will take care of me as I allow Him to sovereignly control others around me. At the same time, I feel that I must warn my son lest he slide from the edges into the middle of a fire.



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