8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let‘s not have any quarrel-ing between you and me, or between your herders andmine, for we are close relatives. 9 Is not the whole landbefore you? Let‘s part company. If you go to the left, I‘llgo to the right; if you go to the right, I‘ll go to the left." - P126
13 Now the people of Sodom werewicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD. - P127
14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted fromhim, "Look around from where you are, to the northand south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that yousee I will give to you and your offspring forever.
- P127
16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth,
so that if anyone could count the dust, theoffspring could be counted. - P127
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. - P127
Abram goes to Bethel with his wife, his nephew, and everything he owns.
Since the land cannot support both Abram and Lot‘s large flocks, their herdersquarrel. So Lot chooses the well-watered plain of the Jordan and sets outeastward near Sodom. The Lord promises Abram that the land to the north,
south, east, and west will all be his and his offspring‘s forever. - P127
Since his first encounter with God, Abram‘s faith has seen some ups anddowns. While he did leave the safety of his family‘s home in response to God‘s call and promise,
he also buckled under fear in Egypt,
misleading Pharaoh to think
that Sarai was his sister. - P128
As God continues to bless him,
however, Abram‘s faith strengthens, as seen in him allowing his nephew, Lot,
to take the first pick of lands in which to
settle. - P128
Abram is confident that God will
continue to prosper him even in a land
that is not as fertile.
In contrast, Lot chooses to settle
near wicked cities and
will later reap the consequences. - P128
Let our trust in God supersede our
ambition and quest for material gain. - P128
In a way, the departure of Lot represents Abram‘s final separation fromhis past life. - P128
It is in this setting that God reappears to Abramand expands upon the promise He made in Genesis 12, challengingAbram to envision his descendants as an uncountable multitude living in a vast territory. - P128
As Abram settles into this foreign land, he builds analtar to the Lord as an act of faith and devotion. - P128
Let us not cling to our past but
trust in God‘s promises,
knowing that what He has for us is
farbetter than whatever we have
left behind.
- P128
Thankfully,
Scripture provides an antidote for our sinful propensity to be self-ab-sorbed: Christ-like humility.
- P129
In Philippians 2, Paul paints a portrait of Jesus that puts His incredible humility
on display. We see that while Jesus was fully God in everyway and had access to every divine privilege, He freely chose to live- on earth as a human and to die on the cross for our sins! - P129
He walkedin radical obedience to the Father‘s will out of His deep love for us.
As disciples of Christ, we are called to
embody this very same humility.
- P129
Rather than insisting upon our own interests and acting out of selfishambition, we are called to value others over ourselves. We cannot follow Jesus unless we are
willing to walk the path of humility. - P129
Heavenly Father, help me to not cling to my present comforts but embrace all
that You have in store for me. Teach me that Your best for me is far better
than what the world offers.
In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P129
16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his rel-ative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
- P131
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