Audio Messages:
Pastor Wade Burleson

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Reconciling Relationships

Genesis40.mp3 (10.0 MB)

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Genesis 13:1-9 (KJV)

1. And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4. Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Ed Young, Jr. once compared entering into a marriage relationship to buying a new car. Most buy a car for what it looks like on the outside, but the smart buyer pops the hood, sees what's on the inside, and will even open the trunk. I like his analogy, but frankly, I've seen some guys take old cars and turn them into gems. Relationships, like working on cars, require a great deal of hard work, particularly when problems arise. In our text we find that Abram and Lot had a disagreement that spilled over. No fuss remains between just two people. In the actions of Abram we see some principles for reconciling relationships.

1. There Is An Initiative Taken . . . "Abram said to Lot, 'Let there be no strife'" (v.8).
   An old Spanish proverb says "two cannot fall out if one does not choose." One of the marks of a true gentleman is his refusal to take issue with every difference of opinion. Yet, if there is truly an offense, reconciliation begins with you taking the first step. "If thou bring thy gift before the altar, and there remember that thy brother has ought against thee, leave . . . (and) first be reconciled to thy brother" (Matthew 5:23-24).
2. There Is An Insight Given . . . "For we be brethren" (v.8).
   What does it mean, "we be brethren?" More than just the fact Abram and Lot were related, there was a bond of brotherhood in their mutual faith in God Himself. In every relationship where you share a common faith there are three things needed:
   1. A healthy dose of Christian liberty . . .
      "Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Chirst hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage . . . For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty" (Galatians 5:1, 13). One must be willing to let his brothers be different and to also show integrity by just being himself around his fellow Christians.
   2. A great deal of Christian love . . .
      "Little children (or brethren). I give to you a new commandment that ye love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples" (John 13:34). Peter is very clear is saying "Love covers a multitude of sins" (I Peter 4:8).
   3. A specific desire for Christian loyalty . . .
      "I will neither give nor receive a negative word about you to others until I have first talked with you." "God and tell him between you and him alone" (Matthew 18:15).
3. There Is An Invitation Granted . . . "You taken the left, I'll take the right" (v.9).
   It seems that Abram intentionally laid down his personal rights. He was older then nephew Lot. He probably had more in riches than Lot did. He was the head of the family. Yet Abram granted to Lot the decision regarding the land that would be chosen. "Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do ye not suffer yourselves to be defrauded? . . . For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (I Corinthians 6:7, 20). God is capable of caring for you. There is a very real sense that when you allow a "Christian" brother to defraud you, to "wrong" you, but love him anyway, God will restore to you more than you lost.

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