Learning life lessons from Conflict

 Read Genesis 13.

When Abram sinned and was ousted from Egypt, notice what he did.  He went back to where he had started and worshiped the LORD there.  This land that God gave to him is where he should have been all along.

The next test of Abram's faith came in the form a family conflict.  God had blessed Abram and his nephew Lot so much that they needed to separate.  In the culture of the day, being the patriarch of the family, Abram could have pulled rank and made certain demands.  But to his credit, he viewed this challenge in a much larger perspective.  Lot was not an enemy but family.  Abram's commitment was more than just to appease the strife.  He desired to resolve the conflict and trust God for the outcome. 

As the leader of the family, he immediately put an end to the fighting.  "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen." (v.8) 

Next, this leader was willing to let Lot make the decision about where to live.  The Jordan River valley appeared to be the prime place for his herds.  What he did not consider was the spiritual environment.  "Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD." (v.13)  What appeared to be the best choice will turn out to cost Lot dearly. 

Demanding one's rights is one way to start a fight.  Humbly and voluntarily yielding one's rights may pave the way toward a peaceable and equitable resolve. 

In verses 14-17, the LORD encouraged Abram for the way he handled this test of faith by repeating two of three parts to the covenant made in Chapter 12.  God promised the land of Canaan to him and his descendants.  His descendants would be innumerable.  And then he built an altar to worship God. 

Three life lessons from Abram's responses:

1. He humbled himself when he could have stood up for his rights.

2. He trusted God to work rather than choosing his own way.

3. He worshipped God when the decision was made.  

Building an altar and worshipping at these strategic times had now become a habit of his life.  

Lot’s decision should prompt us to ask three life questions when faced with major decisions:

1. Am I viewing this decision with spiritual insight or only physical eyesight?

2. Am I making spiritual goals my priority rather than material goals? 

3. Am I more concerned with developing eternal prosperity or temporal prosperity?