Faith — The Gift - Wednesday
TODAY’S VERSE
Genesis 13:8-9
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. 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.” (ESV)
My son Dean is now basically 1.5 years old, which means we’re in an awesome phase of exponentially more mobility and independence with walking, paired with a really limited number of ways to communicate. It’s exhausting. We recently checked him into the nursery for a service and received a report that he did a lot of sharing! He’s not normally too greedy, but it’s always good to hear that he is getting along with his peers. Unfortunately, we were shown proof… which meant that Dean was sharing another kiddo’s snack without much in the way of an agreement to do so.
Something about today’s verse also resonated with our current season with Dean. Verse 9 feels like a more formal version of how my wife, Leah, and I try to rationalize with him or just get him to be satisfied with not clinging to our every step. Maybe if I try the biblical route, I’ll get more traction! All kidding aside, it seems like humans are born with an innate, frantic sense of scarcity. It’s the "mine!" phase. Sharing feels like an existential threat to a toddler because they genuinely believe that if someone else gets a turn, attention, or a snack, they are losing out forever. If I’m honest, I like to believe I’ve outgrown that drastic behavior, but at times it seems like I’ve just gotten better at hiding it. When resources get tight or social comparison creeps in, I have to fight to not slip right back into that mentality. We aggressively guard our turf and hoard our rights because we assume life looks like “If you win, I lose.”
Abram completely shatters that scarcity game in Genesis 13. As the elder in the family, Abram held all the cultural, legal, and promised rights to the land. He had every right to pull rank on Lot, take the best territory for himself, and give his nephew the leftovers. Instead, he steps back, looks at Lot, and says, “Take your pick.” Abram could offer that kind of reckless, open-handed generosity because he finally had his sights set on God’s promises to come rather than on what was immediately in front of him. He saw what happened when he held tightly to what he wanted and took matters into his own hands in Egypt, but God provided anyway. As Matt said, he refused to play the game of "keeping up with the Joneses" because he trusted that God’s promised provision was entirely secure.
APPLICATION
One of the best ways to break out of comparison and a selfish mindset is to step out of our routine and into intentional worship. When we focus on just how big God is, our perspective completely shifts. Make plans to join us tonight for our Summer Worship Night as we worship together as one church. We’ll be at the same place as last year: the Pavilion at the Lexington Sporting Club Soccer Complex. Pro Tip: Arrive early and carpool! Food trucks and games start at 6:30pm, and worship begins shortly after at 7:30pm. I’ll see you there!
PRAYER
Spend a few minutes listing the areas of your life you hold control over rather than surrendering to God’s promises. Pray that God helps you take steps towards trusting Him rather than your fears.
