Choosing a Better Way

Choosing a Better Way Introduction Things aren't always as good or as bad as they appear when we don't have discernment. When I was in high school a friend's dad had an old guitar from when he was young. One day he was cleaning out the closet and he decided to see if it was worth anything. It was in rough shape, and had a neck break that had been repaired, so it seemed like it probably wouldn't be worth much. On seeing it though, the shop offered him any single item in the store as a trade, but warned him that he wouldn't be getting a good deal. It was a late 50's Gibson Les Paul Junior. This was 30 years ago, but today, that Guitar would be worth about $15,000. Looking at it, it was just a beat up old guitar, but if you knew what to look for, it was something of great value. Many guitars look much better, at least superficially, but the people who know these things, would consider that old guitar a rare find. In our spiritual lives, some experiences don't appear very valuable when they really are and some experiences that we long for, because they look like blessing, move us closer to destruction. This dynamic shows up in our next story from the life of Abraham. The story picks up right where we left off, with Abraham getting kicked out of Egypt for trying to pass his wife off as his sister. The great wealth that Abraham and his nephew Lot have acquired is becoming a problem: 1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. 3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord. 5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram's herders and Lot's. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. 8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left." 10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. (Genesis 13:1-13, NIV) Abraham and Lot were too rich, so they had to part ways. I know what some of you are thinking to yourselves, "If only I had that problem." But in the days when wealth was something you had to feed, then it was possible. Abraham proposes a solution: He and his family will move in the opposite direction that Lot and his men move. And Abraham graciously gives Lot first pick of the land he wants. We're told Lot chooses the Jordan Valley because it looks beautifully watered. The first hint of trouble comes because it is compared with Egypt. The Nile Delta in Egypt is beautifully fertile soil, but at the time Genesis is written, Egypt had become a symbol of slavery for the Israelites. Lot chose for himself the land that looked best. But what looked like an attractive place to graze his flocks means moving closer to Sodom, a city noted for its wicked inhabitants. Abraham is left with the hilly, dryer land of Canaan. While this seems a bit like a downer, I couldn't blame him if he said, "I can't believe he took all the good land for himself," God immediately affirms that the land Abraham took will be the possession in which his descendents will thrive. 14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." 18 So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13:14-18, NIV) So to recap: In order to preserve the peace, Abraham and Lot must separate and Abraham graciously gives Lot the first pick of the land he wants. Lot chooses the land that looks good, but it takes him close to Sodom. Abraham takes the land that looks inferior, but time will bear out that he has made the better choice. Abraham and Lot's choices show us that our eyes (or our natural desires) often fail us. We need the spiritual discernment that comes through faith so we can find the best path. I. Abraham Chooses the Way of Peace Abraham has already left his father's household to come to Canaan now he must say goodbye to his nephew Lot. But Abraham realizes fights between his herdsmen and Lot's are inevitable because there's not enough grazing land to go around. The conflict between their people will eventually create tension between the two owners. So Abraham is willing to part in order to preserve the peace. As the head of the household and the one God has blessed, he could pull rank on Lot and choose first But Abraham demonstrates faith: He knows God has promised to look after him, so he doesn't need to be greedy about getting the best land. We see nothing in the text to suggest that Abraham is resentful of Lot's choice. If Abraham were competitive, a dispute might break out between him and Lot over the best land. But Abraham is willing to take the more arid and hilly land because it seems he finally trusts that wherever he goes, God will look after him. As Christians, we should follow Abraham's example here. Because he trusts God, Abraham is willing to let someone have what might be perceived as an advantage over him in order to keep the peace. It's in this same vein that Paul counsels believers in Corinth to accept being wronged by a fellow believer rather than taking them to court: "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" (1 Corinthians 6:7, NIV). Of course, the legal system of Paul's day didn't allow the poor to file suit against the powerful, so the person doing the suing is better able to accept the loss. The principle both in Paul's case and in Abraham's is that just because you can win a fight, doesn't mean you should. Some would say that we need to look out for ourselves, but following Abraham's example, means that we can trust God to look out for us. When a fellow sister or brother gets something you want, do you feel like God has wronged you? (God, You were supposed to give that to me!) Or do you rejoice with your sister or brother because you trust that God who was faithful to them, will also be faithful to you? Or when you're in an argument with someone about something not all that important, can you let the argument go without being recognized as the winner. I remember once getting into an argument with someone over what language Jesus spoke. The person insisted he spoke Hebrew and I explained that the Jews who returned from the exile-including Jesus-spoke Aramaic as their day-to-day language. I remember getting very worked up that this person didn't believe me, and only afterward realized what a dolt I was being. Winning the argument wasn't worth the hard feelings. I may have been factually correct, but my actions made me wrong. When I am committed to the way of peace, winning over others just isn't nearly as important as we might otherwise think. II. Lot Chooses the Way of Disaster In this story, Lot serves as an example of what not to do. He's offered a consequential decision-where he's going to go-and it seems that he uses his eyes (and only his eyes) to make the decision. He's like a man who chooses a good-looking wife without considering whether they have common interests or compatible personalities. The Jordan valley is well watered, and that's good enough for him. Even though taking his flocks there means moving dangerously close to a city with a reputation for wickedness. Nothing in the text leads us to conclude that he inquired of God what the best plan of action could be. Perhaps God would have said, "Go down to the plain, but keep your distance form Sodom" or, "Instead of separating east and west, you and Abraham can separate north and south" We don't know, but whatever insight he might have received from God, he didn't. We need wisdom from the Holy Spirit, so the consequential decisions in our lives should be things we pray about. Obviously, this includes whom we marry or what career path we pursue, but also things we might consider less life-altering: where I buy a house, where I go to church, what kind of people I cultivate friendships with. Sometimes God's wisdom calls us to take the hard option over the attractive one. I may think I should choose the highest paying job, or the nicest house I can afford, the kind of service in the church that will make people admire me But God can see all ends and we can't. Maybe that job pays well, but it doesn't nourish my soul. Maybe a nice house keeps you away from people God wants you to serve. Maybe the kind of service you have in mind feeds your ego, but it doesn't positively form your character. The only way we can discern these things is if we bring them to God in prayer. This is difficult because we like to be in the drivers' seat in our lives and we may be emotionally invested in a particular outcome. I have experienced people coming to me for advice, but all they really want is me to tell them that the decision they've already decided to make is the right one. We might say, "God I want to know what your will is...as long as its (fill in your blank with whatever you want to do). Choosing the way of life means recognizing that our own desires and agenda don't always lead us the right way. But in the long-run we would do well we seek God's wisdom and follow it, even when it's not what we hope for. And remember God's wisdom is available to us. As James tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5). God wants us to seek out his wisdom - this isn't a burden on God, but is the way we learn to walk with God. III. God chooses to Bless Through Adversity While we may seek the way that superficially looks easiest or most attractive, God guides us in the way that is ultimately best. After Lot's departure God shows Abraham the land he will get. It's not as lush or well watered, but God promises that it will belong to his descendents. Despite the adversity (hilly, arid land isn't the easiest to farm) this is the environment in which God intends to bless Abraham's descendents. This is true for us too. God blesses us, not with a life of comfort and ease, but of one that often includes adversity. The adversity we face isn't what we want at the time, but it is through these experiences that we are formed into renewed, holy people. As the writer of Hebrews, explains it: 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined-and everyone undergoes discipline-then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:7-11, NIV). Remember, discipline isn't about punishment (even though we often use the words interchangeably), but rather about training. God's direction trains Abraham to grow into the best version of himself. For us, that growth doesn't happen by God making our lives effortless. We may expect that God will make our lives smooth sailing (Good. Luck. With. That.) but if we do, we'll probably be disappointed. God's plan involves teaching us to say no to temptation (So we'll have to face temptation). It involves teaching us to love the unlovable (So we'll have to have relationships with difficult people). It involves teaching us to trust in the midst of chaos (So we'll have to go through some crazy times). It involves teaching us that our significance doesn't come from being recognized as more important than others (So we'll have to toil without recognition). We don't learn these and other crucial lessons from a life of smooth sailing. So Your Promised Land, your inheritance from God, might not be the life you want, but in God's wisdom it is the life you need. When you submit to God's wisdom and live in his blessing, your journey with God will loosen the power of sin and brokenness, setting you free to live as a truly human child of God. Conclusion Just like Abraham, we have all received a promise from God. If we respond in faith, he will bless us. Faith gives us eyes to see the blessings in a life where we still experience hardship, disappointment and adversity because by faith we understand that God is at work through these things for our eternal benefit. So let's not be like Lot, who sought what looked good to his natural eyes, without also asking God for his wisdom. Instead, let's be like Abraham who chose not to live according to what his natural eyes saw, but instead chose to walk by faith.