WEDNESDAY, August 27th, 2008

I will post my opening comment later on... :) have fun at school!!

COME TO CHURCH TONIGHT FOR OUR OLYMPIC FINAL EVENTS!!! IT WILL BE GREAT! YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!!! TRUST ME!

Genesis 13

1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.
2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.
16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.

This passage reminds me of the commercial where the two brother are about to eat a piece of bread with peanut butter on it. The mom says Bobby will cut and jimmy will choose. Well, you see that in this passage, Abram tells his nephew Lot: This here land is not big enough for the two of us... :) literally! So Abram tells Lot to seperate themselves from each other, and it gets even better... Abram tells Lot that he can choose whatever land He wants and Abram will take the leftovers...

Well, Lot (as we will see in the near future) seemed to be looking for trouble, so He checked out which land would be the best for him... He chose the land that was absolutely beautiful. (it looked like the garden of Eden) This land was Great! However it was also right next to the city of Sodom...

Lot chooses to build his family right next to the wicked city, and we can see how that decision effects the rest of his life. It is really a sad ending that we will read about soon.

It reminds me of Proverbs 4:14, 15
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

If we are going to make sure that our life ends succesfully in Gods plan for our life, then we MUST AVOID SIN. WE MUST STAY AWAY FROM ANYTHING THAT COULD BRING US DOWN... That may mean a friend, that may mean a certain table at lunch, that may mean we have to get a new job, that may mean we cannot hang out with our neighbors...

But I guarantee you this, if you do not Avoid sin... it will find you, and at some point you will be more likely to give in. Think about Joseph... He LITERALLY RAN FROM POTIPHERS WIFE!

That is amazing! We too MUST RUN FROM SIN! and the people who lead us down a path of sin!

Dont be like Lot!