November 13, 2023

Genesis 13 (HCSB)
Abram and Lot Separate
13 Then Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3 He went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been, 4 to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of Yahweh there. 5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 6 But the land was unable to support them as long as they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they could not stay together, 7 and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land. 8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives. 9 Isn’t the whole land before you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.” 10 Lot looked out and saw that the entire Jordan Valley as far as Zoar was well watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden and the land of Egypt. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 11 So Lot chose the entire Jordan Valley for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other. 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities of the valley and set up his tent near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning greatly against the Lord. 14 After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west, 15 for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

Andrew Ivey
The theme of the week is: Choices have Consequences. As I write this devotion, I’m about to send my oldest off to college. This truth is something I want him to understand. You can be forgiven for anything you do because Jesus died for your sins. Jesus’ death removes our punishment for sin (hell) if we will turn from our sin and ask for forgiveness. But that doesn’t mean the consequences of sin are gone. On the contrary, those are almost always still with us. If you get drunk and kill someone in your vehicle, you can be forgiven for that sin. But you may still spend the rest of your life in prison. If you have an abortion, you can be forgiven for that sin. But your baby is still dead, and you still have wounds that may never heal. If you commit a sexual sin that puts you on the sex offender registry, you can be forgiven for that sin. But you will never be on a church staff as a children’s minister. Choices have consequences. But just like bad choices have bad consequences, good choices have good consequences. The truth of Scripture is God blesses obedience and He punishes disobedience (Dt. 11:26-28; Gal. 6:7-8). We see this played out in Abraham’s life in this passage today. Abraham has obediently followed God’s direction in Chapter 12. Chapter 13 records that God blessed Abraham because of that obedience. Is there an area of your life where you aren’t being obedient?