From sacrifice to abundance

One of the things that always stands out to me in Genesis chapter 13 is Abraham’s generous spirit towards his nephew, Lot. For reasons external to themselves, the time had come for the two men and their groups of workers to part ways. As they looked out at the expanse of land before them, Abraham generously and sacrificially gave Lot first choice.

I don’t know if Lot chose the “best land,” but we’re told in vs 10 - 11 that Lot chose the well watered, fertile plains of the Jordan valley. Did Lot already know at that time of making this choice that the people of that area, in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, were known for their sin and wickedness? If so, it’s a warning to all of us that sometimes our choices for material prosperity can put us in a place where  our souls and spirits are in jeopardy. But perhaps neither Lot nor Abraham knew this at the time.

In allowing Lot to have first choice, Abraham seemlngly lost the best territory, but look what happened immediately afterwards. God spoke to him and basically said, “You can have it all.: God told him to look as far as the eye could see and told Abraham that he was giving him all of the land as an inheritance - even the part that would temporarily belong to Lot, although Abraham didn’t know or understand that yet.

When we choose to be unselfish, when we willingly place our destiny in God’s hands, it’s amazing to see how He can take our sacrifice and turn it into abundance.