Thursday, February 03, 2011

Choices, They Will Make Us Or Break Us

Which way will you go?


Genesis 13:8-13 Then Abram talked it over with Lot. "This arguing between our herdsmen has got to stop," he said. "After all, we are close relatives! 9 I'll tell you what we'll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that area over there, then I'll stay here. If you want to stay in this area, then I'll move on to another place."

10 Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 Lot chose that land for himself -- the Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.
12 So while Abram stayed in the land of Canaan, Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom, among the cities of the plain. 13 The people of this area were unusually wicked and sinned greatly against the LORD

It is a wise man who insist on living peacefully, even if it means giving up something that should be yours and allowing somebody else to have preferential treatment. Since Abram was the oldest he could have told his nephew Lot to hit the road and find a new place to live, he could have told him where he was going to be and he could have said you go over there. Instead Abram relinquishes his rights as the eldest and allows Lot to have first choice.

The choices that we make will make us or break us, the beauty and glamor of the world can trick us into making a bad decision so fast that we will wonder what happened. Lot could have given his uncle the best land so that there wouldn't be any chance of animosity between them, instead he took what he thought was the best and ran.

The scriptures tell us that Abram moved his tents to the leftovers of the land and when he arrived there he built an altar and worshiped. Lot on the other hand moved in and settled down next to the most immoral neighborhood he could find, as big as this planet is Lot could have choose anywhere he wanted to be, perhaps he would have been okay in that neighborhood if he had moved there and built an altar and attempted to influence the area where he lived.

Lord help me to make good choices and even if I am in a bad area, help me to influence the culture and stay close to you as a witness for you.