Praise God for His Word Going Out
Hello! First post of 2025. I didn’t intend to ‘take the holidays off’ but it worked out that way.
Some of the sub stackers that I follow have talked about their most popular post or top few of 2024. Since I’m working on this as a podcast as well, I thought I’d share my most popular post as a podcast as well.
My most viewed post in 2024 is from February 13 and is called choosing a direction. Here’s that post as a podcast, and edited with extra content that is relevant for now.
Choosing a Direction - Which way are you going?
Life presents us with choices, including which direction to take. Not just north/south or east/west, but toward God or away from Him. You may not realize it, but you are constantly moving. It is impossible to stand still. I’ve not kept up with my studies the last few weeks and it shows. I’ve let distractions creep in.
Remember I have said lately that we must make a DAILY re-commitment? I’ve fallen down on this lately, but I’m making a commitment NOW to turn to Him more and less to the world. Yes, it’s a daily struggle.
The lesson referenced in this posts uses Genesis 13:11-13, but we need a little more context for what I feel led to discuss. Let’s go back and start with verse 5.
Genesis 13:5-13 NIRV - Lot was moving around with Abram. Lot also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land didn’t have enough food for both Abram and Lot. They had large herds and many servants, so they weren’t able to stay together. The people who took care of Abram’s herds and those who took care of Lot’s herds began to argue. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not argue with each other. The people taking care of your herds and those taking of mine shouldn’t argue with one another either. After all, we’re part of the same family. Isn’t the whole land in front of you? Let’s separate. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right. If you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
Lot looked around. He saw that the whole Jordan River valley toward the town of Zoar had plenty of water. It was like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose the whole Jordan River valley for himself. Then he started out toward the east. The two men separated. Abram lived in the land of Canaan. Lot lived among the cities of the Jordan River valley. He set up his tents near Sodom. The people of Sodom were evil. They were sinning greatly against the Lord.
Remember a previous lesson about East being away from God? Lot went East. The King James puts it like this
Genesis 13:12 KJV - Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Pitched his tent toward Sodom. Where have you pitched your tent? Well let’s discuss that a little more…
Peacemaker
Abram, following God's lead, allowed Lot to choose which land to take, demonstrating his role as a peacemaker. Abram wanted them to be a family, so they needed a little more room, but he didn’t want to boss Lot around.
So Lot looked and saw the Jordan valley and how well watered it was. Since it’s mentioned it was similar to the Garden of Eden, I think we can safely assume it was lush with vegetation and a perfect place to raise livestock.
Note that the ‘cities of the plain’ were there too: Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible clearly states that Lot pitched his tent there and dwelled near Sodom. Now later on we find that he is actually living INSIDE the city, but his first step was to move TOWARD it. He had all this lush land and what God provides, but moved into a city where men were wicked and sinful.
Do we do that same? And I’m not talking about living in a city instead of the country. Where I live, the ‘country’ is mostly farmland. Our society is such that you can’t get very far from a Dollar General store, so unless you go up into the hills or become an Amish Mennonite, you’re not going to be able to live off the land.
So not speaking of ‘cities,’ but of society in general. When we have a chance to go one of two directions, are we drawn to the wicked and sinful? Do we even make excuses about it? Do we say things like, “well I’m only human!” Yes we are, but we are also made in the image of God! We bear His image and we were created for so much more!
Promised Land
This term has grown to me so much more to me lately! Promised land or Holy Land - God Himself chooses it for His people. The trick is we have to follow Him! He has to be Lord of All!
Genesis 13:14-18 NIRV - The Lord spoke to Abram after Lot had left him. He said, “Look around from where you are. Look north and south, east and west. I will give you all the land you see. I will give it forever to you and your family who comes after you. I will make them like the dust of the earth. Can dust be counted? If it can, then your family can be counted. Go! Walk through the land. See how long and wide it is. I am giving it to you.” So Abram went to live near the large trees of Mamre at Hebron. There he pitched his tents and built an altar to honor the Lord.
Now I don’t want to read too much into this, but God spoke to Abram AFTER Lot had made his own decision. Was Lot not a part of this promise? Is it possible that when Lot moved towards sin he was not included? We know later that Lot and his family were saved from the destruction of Sodom, but at the very least Lot was not included in the blessings that he could have received.
Getting back to the older notes, I want to point out a couple of specific things here. First, God is the One and Only Sovereign Creator. He has the power and the right to do what He wants. If God wants to give this land to Abram and his dependents, He has that authority! Remember, God created literally EVERYTHING in the universe.
So people may chant, “from the river to the sea” and call for the land to belong to Palestine, but keep in mind that Palestine doesn’t own it - God does. And if God gives it to Isreal then that is His eternal prerogative. As Christians, we don’t own anything either. If we have a dollar, it should belong to God, not us. Same for other property.
Love your enemies
Remember that Jesus said to love your enemies? Do you think He really meant that?
Matthew 5:43-44 NIRV - “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor. (Leviticus 19:18) Hate your enemy.’ But here is what I tell you. Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.
Around the time of the initial post, I had had a conversation where the person said Israel was being an aggressor. I couldn't deny that at all! Being defensive against attacks from Hamas is fine, and I believe they have a moral obligation to protect their innocent citizens, just as we do. I don’t pretend to know the details of what they are doing in the ‘attacks’ that they are carrying out, so I had no ground to deny that this person had a point.
Now to be clear, this person does NOT believe that Jesus was who He said He was. He actually made a comment (I’m paraphrasing, because it contained adult language) that if he can’t get into Heaven without bowing down to Jesus then he didn’t want in. Note the fact that he is making a conscious choice NOT to follow Jesus. Not everyone you speak to will be that up front and honest about it, but the attitude is there.
All that being said, God - the One and Only God of the universe - gave this land to them. It is their land. They are not occupying Palestinian territory - they are where God told Abram that his decendents would be. Why don’t they occupy all of it? And why were they not even in the area for so many years? Because they turned their backs on Jesus, and thus the Father. Just like my friend, they made a conscious decision to NOT follow Jesus.
So the bottom line? It’s the Promised Land - it’s Holy Land - but it belongs to God to do what He will. Right now the Hebrews are not living in the entire area, but one day they will!
First things first
Abram did what God said. He got up, packed his things, and left. Now God is telling him that everywhere he sees will be his land - his and his descendants. What was the first thing Abram did? Yep - built an altar!
What is the first thing that we do when God leads us somewhere or gives us a blessing? Do we build an altar? Not in the Old Testament sense, but do we come before Him humbly? Do we thank Him? Do we ask what comes next?
Or do we just go “whew - God delivers again!” and go back to our lives? Do we have reverence for what has just occurred? That the Creator has blessed us with something?
Seriously - take a second look at this. I initially said it at the end of making a point, but I don’t want it to get lost in the rest of the writing. If we follow God’s plans for us and get to our personal ‘promised land,’ do we actually thank God? Are we in tune enough with the Creator to even be able to follow Him? Or do we have in our own mind what our ‘promised land’ should be?
As a reminder, Abram was told by God to get up and go, but wasn’t told where he was going. But he went anyway! Do we do that? Or do we want God to give us an outline of what to expect?
When the Hebrews were delivered in the Exodus, they had a specific place they were planning to go worship. Then God told them to move into the “Promised Land” and He would go before them. To put it simply, the majority of them doubted and failed to follow God’s direction. To put it another way, they didn’t have the faith to follow. Do you and I?
A challenge
I challenge you to look around you at the blessings you have been given. Thank God for them! Has He led you in a particular direction or to a particular place in your life? Did you thank Him for this before continuing? Did you ask for direction once you were there?
When you ask for something and He blesses you with it, thank Him! Don’t dismiss it and go to the next thing on your list, recognize that He has shown favor to you and express that thanks! It will cause you to be humble and ready to accept the calling that He has prepared for you!
And above all, recognize the He is the Creator and that He is in control. Recognize that He owns everything and we don’t deserve an explanation. He deserves our worship and our allegiance. Period.
I hope you and I both remember this every day…
Thanks for reading / listening!
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