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Topic: Wrong Choice, Wrong Destination
[DCLM Daily Manna 30 March 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Genesis 13:1-18
1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
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14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
KEY VERSE: “Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.” – (Genesis 13:11)
MESSAGE:
A farmer had a dog that used to sit by the road side waiting for vehicles to come around. As soon as one came, he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it. One day, a neighbour asked the farmer, “Do you think your dog is ever going to catch a car?” The farmer replied, “That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do, if he ever caught one.” Many people are like the dog that was busy running after meaningless goals.
In today’s passage, Abraham left Egypt with all that he had and continued his journey, which afforded him the lost opportunity of calling on the name of the Lord on the altar he had left unused because of his wrong choice of going down to Egypt where he fell victim to fear of man. Then the relationship between his herdsmen and those of Lot became strained.
Abraham wanted peace and he needed to make choices and take decisions. He talked to Lot about the problem. Lot could have learnt from the earlier mistakes of Abraham’s choices; but alas, he failed miserably. When he was given the opportunity to choose either to remain with Abraham or go a separate way, he chose the latter. His choice led him to Sodom which eventually robbed him of all that he had.
Believers must be careful of people, places, positions and privileges that offer themselves readily, so they do not, like Lot, pursue goals and projects that will take them farther from the Lord and His work. Some are journeying down to Egypt in their marital family, and business life. Others are running away from their spiritual benefactors. You will do well today to watch carefully how you handle your life and situations. Remember, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Decision determines destiny.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 1-3
