Abraham and Lot Day 1

You will need your Bible today.
The problem with having your faith tested it that it requires faith.
"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 (might be worth memorizing this verse, we'll use it a lot in the next few weeks)
Abram, I imagine, was pretty excited about all the promises that God had given to him. It took him no time to pack up the his wife, nephew and all their stuff after his father died and get going into Canaan. On top of blessings, fame, more descendants that can be counted, protection, and all people in the earth receiving blessing through him, when he entered into Canaan, God promised him the land as well.
I wonder if Abram was just a little bit impatient for all the promises to be fulfilled? When he watched as the land turned to dust and he fled to the more fertile lands of Egypt, I wonder if he thought he was crazy to have believed in God's promises? Certainly he could no longer imagine how things could turn out the way God said they would.
When God promises big stuff it always requires big faith. Big stuff for you might be a spouse, a home, a job, a child. It could be healing from cancer, surviving loss, or waiting on someone you love to fall in love with Jesus. What might be a huge promise for me, might not even register for you, but that doesn't mean its small. We don't all get promised land, fame and kingdoms, but God does give us all promises that will stretch our faith, if we are willing to obey Him.
God wants good things for us, but the most important thing He wants from us is faith. God wants us to trust Him, even when we don't fully understand His plan.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, ' declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8 & 9
Please read Genesis 13:1-17.
Abram's lack of faith while in Egypt had led to a pretty humiliating situation. When his human eyes couldn't see the goodness of the LORD, he started to question His ability to fulfill any of the promises. Abram decided to take matters into his own hands to protect himself and as a result lost his wife and his dignity. God, who is always faithful, had to restore what Abram had messed up. With his wife and all his belongings returned to him, Abram headed back to Canaan.
"From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where he tent had been earlier and where he have first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD." Genesis 13:3 & 4
There are really only two options when we sin. We can hide like Adam and Eve did, embarrassed and ashamed or we can acknowledge that we made a mistake and run back to the arms of our Savior. Our human pride seems to prefer hiding, God, however wants repentance. Repentance implies changing direction, turning from the path of sin toward the path of righteousness, toward God.* Abram, in the most literal since turned around and headed straight toward where he knew God was. Abram repented of his lack of faith and positioned himself where he knew God was with him.
Soon after arriving in Bethel, trouble began. Abram had been blessed (even through his disobedience) and become very wealthy. Lot, his nephew had also reaped the rewards of God's promise to Abram, and was wealthy in his own right. Too much money, stuff and apparently animals became too much for the land they shared so the obvious choice was to part ways.
Abram was the head of the household, and Lot's elder, it was his right to choose which plot of land he wanted and send Lot off somewhere else, but he let Lot decide.** The plains of the Jordan were fertile pasture land, with a few cities that could be traded with. From where Abram and Lot were standing it was the best land in sight. Lot chose the plain and pitched his tent close to the city of Sodom, while Abram headed back up into the mountains toward Hebron, about 40 miles away.*** On the way God renewed his promise to Abram that all the land he saw would belong to his offspring, forever.
Sometimes (most of the time) faith is believing despite what you see. Through Abram's repentance, his faith had grown. He had learned that God was faithful, even when the land turned to dust, and more importantly, even when he had made a mess. When the time came to separate from Lot, Abram didn't need to chose what looked like the best of the land, he knew that God could bless him anywhere, so he let Lot have the choice, and God blessed him for his faith.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." Hebrews 11:1 & 2


* Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, NIV. Chattanooga, TN. AMG Publishers. 1996. pg. 1651
** Arnold, Bill T. Encountering the Book of Genesis. Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Books. 2008. pg. 75
*** Walton, John H. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Volume 1. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan. 2009. pg. 77