January 16, 2023
Big Idea
Want to hear God laugh? Tell Him your plans!
God is a peacemaker. God always wants what is best for us and for us in return to love Him and to tell others about His great love.
"[F]or all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted."
1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 1 13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.
14 The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks 2 13:18 Or terebinths of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.
Lot and Abram didn't want to quarrel. They wanted to save the family name, so instead of their workers bickering with each other, the two decided to separate and continue in different directions. God generously gave the land to Abram, as he was the eldest; and Abram shared with Lot some of his given property. With that land, Abram built an altar to the Lord, while Lot moved to the cities where sin was abundant. Here, Lot was only concerned about the material aspect of having this land and not the consequences of how it would spiritually impact his family. Abram walked by faith; Lot walked by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
After getting married, Jenny and I moved into our first place together. We had two houses worth of furniture and other items to sift through and decide what to do with it all. Mine was older and worn; hers was nicer and newer, but we both had an attachment to our own things. What do we keep? What do we get rid of? This was very humbling and a great exercise in learning to use grace. (Does this bring you joy?) We were combining households for the first time and had to make some tough decisions—all of this over "stuff."
I didn't choose this passage because it talks about land and Lot . . . (Realtor joke).
Instead, I am reminded of the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21). In Luke 12:15 (NIV), Jesus says, "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." How powerful is that? I relate to this passage because I, too, thought I could put all my trust and energy into earthly possessions and accumulating "stuff" like Lot. I have learned in fact that you can't take anything with you after your short time on this earth.
This month's memory verse
We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
1. Are disagreements holding you back from making amends with family members?
2. What worldly things bring you comfort? What can you do to shift your focus from those things and toward God?
3. Thank God for what you have now. Pray for others who may have less.
As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!
Hugh Stephenson
Hugh Stephenson
Hugh Stephenson
Chris Landry
Melissa David
Sue Bohlin
Michael Scaman
Michael Sisson
Amy Lowther
Alan Beam