Genesis 13:8-9 "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. 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."
Genesis 13:14-17 "And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee."
Sometimes things that appear small have profound consequences. Do you remember what God told Abram when his journey began? In chapter twelve God told Abram to leave his father’s house and his kindred. Abram made only a slight deviation from that. He took his nephew and his nephew’s household with him when he left.
We see that Abram had been blessed to have a lot of cattle (livestock). Lot also had a substantial number of livestock as well. In fact, between them they had more herds, flocks, and people (as signified by the tents) than the land could bear. And at that time, there were others in the land (Canaanites and Perizzites) as well. Strife arose between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen, which strife would not have existed if Abram had not failed to leave his kindred behind as God commanded.
There was a promise that was meant for Abram and his seed, and for them alone. God did not elaborate on the fullness of this promise until AFTER Lot had chosen his path and separated himself from Abram. Once Lot had departed, God told Abram to stand in the place where he was and look in every direction. All that Abram could see, God would give him and his seed for a perpetual inheritance. Then God told him to walk everywhere he could see.
When we set out to follow God, it is good to follow Him exactly as He has instructed. If Abram had not brought Lot with him there would have been less strife in his life. If we fail to abandon the things that God’s word tells us to leave behind in order to serve Him, we can still expect unnecessary strife in our lives today. Doing what He has told us to do also reveals depths to His promises that we have not seen before.
God told Abram to look in every direction from where he stood, and everything he saw God would give him. In our service to God today, that same promise is still ours in His kingdom here. Everything that God reveals to you about Himself and His purpose for your life is yours by His promise. We are supposed to walk in all the He shows us. Do you realize how limitless this promise is?
If Abram had physically looked in every direction to the horizon and picked out landmarks, all that he saw was his by God’s promise. When he walked to those landmarks, what did he find? He could see things from that point that he did not see originally. But God’s promise was still in effect: “…all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it.”
As we walk in God’s promises in our lives, more of His will and His ways will come into view. Everything He shows us of His grace and mercy is ours to walk in (possess). No matter where we are or what we see, we will never walk to the end of God’s grace, mercy, and love. This is what it means to serve our boundless God!