Corona Devo 160

Do you have any difficult people in your life?

Maybe just that one person whose world revolves around them alone, which makes it hard to be around them.  God has been telling me to go to that person, serve that person, show acceptance to that person.  And...I have not acted on His edict.  

Okay, so all of you are better Christ-followers than me, and you would have already taken steps to live in love.  But the great thing about Jesus is that He doesn't leave us alone in our selfishness.  And perhaps He is showing me a teensy-tiny thing about selfishness, as I struggle with the selfishness of another.  That would be just like God.  He is a good Father, and if we allow Him, He is always shaping and raising us to be more like Him.  Selfishness is not one of His character traits, and it should not be one of ours.

God doesn't "speak out loud" to me, but I think about this "difficult person" fairly often, and lament that I am not loving them better.  And yet, I stay inactive.  Then I read about Abram and Lot in the Bible today and I knew that God was showing me selflessness so that I would get my rear-in-gear and live some of it out myself.

Lot was Abram's (God changes his name to Abraham later in the Bible) nephew.  Lot's dad (Abram's brother) died, and so, out of love, duty and selflessness, Abram takes Lot under his wing.  He raises him and when Abram sets out to travel, he takes Lot with him. But as they traveled with all of their families and livestock, they needed more room.  Their people were fighting because the groups were too big and crowded.  Abram yielded to Lot (his nephew) and gave Lot the first-choice of land. 

Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! 9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

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 destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.  ~Genesis 13:8-11

Lot chose the best and most beautiful land.  

If you have any difficult people in your life, you can often predict how they will behave or treat you.  

Lot did not defer to Abram and thank him for raising him these many years and then tell Abram that out of respect Abram should choose his land first.  No--Lot choose the most beautiful land for himself without a thought about Abram.  (Know anyone like this?)  

But when we are in God's will, He removes our pride.  Abram shows no angst in submitting to Lot's choice. Abram was more advanced in years, he had more to lose from the land decision, but He trusted God much more than he trusted any decision that his nephew made.  And I am convinced that Abram's yielding to Lot was put on his heart by God.  The Lord is the only One who moves us out of selfishness and into self-less-ness.  (Help me with it today, Lord!)

The land that Lot chose was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt (Genesis 13:10).  It looked good on the outside, but...

12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. 13 But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.

Decisions driven by our self-focus and desire for more often have caveats that we weren't expecting.  Lot never asked God's opinion or blessing on this huge life decision, he just saw something beautiful and ran after it.  Looks can often be deceiving and God wants to be a part of all our decisions, large and small.  

God is patient, selfless, accepting and kind.  This is His example to us for living our lives, especially with difficult people, because who else is showing them these things?  And when Abram lived-it-out, God smiled on him.

14 After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. 15 I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. 16 And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! 17 Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”  ~Genesis 13:14-17

If we will just follow hard after the Lord, He will work out the details of our lives.  And He can bless us in ways we could not have foreseen because He is our Heavenly Father.  I am never suggesting that the road will be easy or without trial--God never promises that.  Submitting to Him can be a power of wills, and I am ashamed to say that I let selfishness win too often.  But I am grateful for real people like Abram who model obedience and serving others for us.

18 So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.  ~Genesis 13:18

Abram sought the Lord's will and thanked God consistently for being present in his life (...he built another altar to the Lord).  Abram is an excellent example for all of us. 

There was no coincidence in my reading these verses today, as God knows that I have been lagging (disobeying) in living out love for a difficult person in my life.  Maybe the story strikes a chord for you too.

I pray that today you and I can both make forward strides in submitting to God's plan in reaching out to someone that is difficult to love.  And we can leave the details to Him.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com