Boundaries
Read This Week: Genesis 13
So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” – Genesis 13:8-9 NIV
In their classic book Boundaries, authors Henry Cloud and John Townsend wrote this about setting boundaries in relationships and life:
Boundaries define us. They define what is me and what is not me. A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins. Boundaries help us keep the good in and the bad out. Setting boundaries involves taking responsibility for your choices. You are the one who makes them and must live with the consequences.
In Genesis 13, Abraham decides to set some boundaries with his nephew, Lot. They had settled in the land between Bethel and Ai after leaving Egypt and began to flourish and succeed. Verses 2-5 tell us that Abram had become very wealthy, and Lot, who was moving with him, also had flocks, herds, and tents. God began to fulfill His promises to Abraham by allowing him to prosper. He made quite a living from farming livestock and mining silver and gold. His nephew also benefited from his uncle’s favor and had amassed his own wealth. However, as is often the case, their riches became a source of tension and potential strife. Verse 6 tells us that the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great.
Essentially, there was not enough room for both of them in the land. They had accumulated too much to co-exist peacefully. Even their workers and employees started arguing and having issues (v.7). They needed some boundaries to preserve their relationship. Abraham, being the more mature and wiser of the two, approaches Lot and says, let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! Abraham recognizes that his relationship with his nephew is more valuable and important than their possessions and land. He doesn’t want to sacrifice the longevity of their bond for a short-term dispute over land and cattle. He chooses to be in the right relationship over being right.
So Abraham sets up some boundaries with Lot that will help them take responsibility for their lives and choices. Boundaries that will prevent further disagreement, unnecessary disputes, and further dissension. He tells Lot in verse 9, the whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left. These boundaries will preserve peace and harmony and be a preventative measure for things that could come between them. Even though Abraham has seniority and stature, his plea to Lot is humble and affectionate. He is a man of calm spirit who has self-control and knows how to diffuse a situation and keep it from escalating into something harmful.
This is a tremendous example for our lives. We are to be loving, compassionate, and concerned with living in peace with others. We are to seek reconciliation and harmony and when those are threatened, we are to pursue healthy boundaries that “help keep the good in and the bad out.” We are in the family of God, brothers and sisters that have the same nature, same grace, and same salvation. We are to have great consideration of our relationships to each other, and it should always win out over our possessions, money, and other temporal values. We need God to help us temper our other passions as we strive to love each other and put an end to our contentions in Jesus’ name.
Genesis Chapter 13 Verse 10
And lot looked and saw that everywhere. The Jordan valley was well watered. Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, [it was all] like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar.
Genesis Chapter 13 Verse 11
Then Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley and [he] traveled east. So they separated.
~Seeking By Faith~
God Is Saying To Me:
My children, you must always seek me first. The enemy glamorizes prosperity and desires to show you the wealthy and most prominent things to see and experience, but I am faithful to my promises to you and will never retract my love and word that I give to you. Trust in Me with your whole heart and seek my instructions for you even if you have failed and must start again from the beginning. Abram failed and is now back at square one, worshiping at the alter he originally built for Me, loving Lot enough to agree to allow him to prosper in the fertile Jordan Valley and finally trusting in Me by faith that I will provide a great land with which he will call his own from Me and for himself and his descendants. Be mindful of who you surround yourself with!
What This Means To Me:
Serving God with wholehearted faith understanding His word and His promises are true and just and that He will always provide for us no matter what, means that I am to seek Him by faith and faith alone and not by sight. God is a merciful and righteous God, always! He provides for his children and only ask for simple obedience and belief by faith that He is capable of providing a prosperous and blessed life for us, looks can be deceiving but God’s promises and love for us is infinite! Thank you God that your requirement is simple as seeking you by faith and you keeping your promises to your children because you love us! ❤️❤️❤️
God gave me a song in Genesis chapter 13
Worship
Let’s come together to worship, our Lord let’s come together to worship our Lord lifting our hands praising our Lord, being grateful joyful We are blessed, blessed because he loves us. Yes, he loves us so let’s open her eyes to see what he has for us being thoughtful of others, showing his light through us to those who need his love. He loves when we are faithful being a good servant. Trusting him trusting him in everything let’s come together to worship our lord . Let’s come together to worship our Lord. Amen
It’s a beautiful thing we can trust in the Lord for everything and thank him for everything, our Lord knows our heart and loves when to talk, worship and focus on him. Thank you Lord Amen.
Genesis 13:4 where he had first built an altar; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord [in prayer].
Testing, testing your Faith
Trusting Father God In everything
We saw in chapter 12 Abram decided not to trust God. When he encountered the famine in Canaan, he took things into his own hands. We didn’t see him building an altar to worship and seek the Lord and he almost lost his wife.
so now we see him in genesis 13 4 going back to where he first built an altar and he called on the name of the Lord in prayer.
Why is our faith tested?
Our faith is tested to strengthen us and to see if we really trust the Lord in our situations, God already knows, it’s for our own hearts.
God gives wisdom to those who ask Him, seek Him with our whole hearts, testing builds character
In James 1:3 it says consider it a sheer gift, friends, when test and trials challenges, come at you from all sides.
The testing of our faith through experiences produces endurance, and it leads to spiritual maturity in inner peace.
When we start to talk to our father God and we listen, he will help us through what we’re going through like he did Abraham I love what verse 14 says the Lord said to Abraham after lot had left him now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are standing north, word and south word and east word in west word for all the land, what you see, I will give to you and to your descendent forever.
Always remember to call upon the name of the Lord he’s right there with you always we make it off track but all we have to do is go back: the name of the Lord talk to him spend time with him because he loves us if you’re having a hard time, it’s all you have to do is talk to him and tell him that you are, and he will strengthen your faith Thank you father God
You could build an altar physically to God, but for us today in our heart, we have an altar we can see God and worship him wherever we are because his Holy Spirit lives inside of us today. If we’ve given our heart to him, there will be ups and downs, but the key is to come back to the Lord to go to the Lord and get what you need from him and he will lead you in the right way..
God was saying to me, I know your heart. And when you said yes to me, you gave me your whole heart always remember your heart is an altar to me to come to me worships seek me and listen and respond. My Holy Spirit helps you lead you in the right direction I have work to do in you and through you my child. Always remember that I am with you, so stay close to me and in your faith, you will grow stronger and stronger through the things we go together because I love you.My daughter
I love you, father God, Jesus, and your Holy Spirit thank you that I get to be a part of what you’re doing here❤️
When we give our whole heart to our father, God blesses his heart
This should always be our desire to honor our Lord, in all that we do and say, every moment that we’re awake that we think about our Father God, talk to him. We can ask him anything He is listening, read our Bible because He talks to us through, He can give us our so give us instructions then we want to write things down that we hear that’s how they did it in the Bible all the people listening to father God, Jesus, and his Holy Spirit
we have our own book, we’re on a journey with God, just like Abraham, and all the heroes and heroines in the Bible, so never forget that you’re on a journey with father God, Jesus and his Holy Spirit have fun, make it a good one!
thank you Father God, Jesus and Your Holy Spirt for your love and that our hearts can be like just like Yours❤️
I Give You My Heart
This is my desire
To honor You
Lord, with all my heart
I worship You
All I have within me
I give You praise
All that I adore
Is in You
Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for you alone
And every breath that I take
Every moment I’m awake
Lord, have Your way in me
This is my desire
To honor You
Lord, with all my heart
I worship You
All I have within me
I give You praise
All that I adore
Is in You
Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for you alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I’m awake
Lord, have Your way in me
And I will live
And I will live for You
And I will live
And I will live for You
Oh and I will live
And I will live
And I will live for You
Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul, I live for You alone
Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake
Lord, have Your way in me
Have Your way
Have Your way, have Your way
In Genesis 13 this is what I got from God. I am great enough to bring good even when you disobey. There is still a cost built into disobedience. Abrahams unbelief took him from a place of worship. It led him into sin, and it caused him to lead others into sin. He was more confident in his ability to lie, than in My protecting power. But here Abraham did what he should. Instead of being stuck in the sins of his past, he got busy doing what he needed to do. When you get right with Me, you can often expect an attack from the devil. Lot’s wealth possessed him. Abraham had great possessions, but they did not possess him. Abraham giving Lot land was done out of love and trust in Me, and not because of weakness. He was looking out for the interest of others. Everything I give you is a free gift to you, and has nothing to do with rights. Faith means you do not walk by what you see, but by what you know to be true in Me. I want you to explore a land of promise in your own life, where I give you all things that pertain to life and godliness. I want you to possess it by faith. Walk in My vision for you and in communion with Me.
What this said to me was in life I will sin and mess up. God loves me, and forgives me. I don’t want to get stuck in my life with sins from my past. He wants me to shake it off and get busy doing what I need to do for Him, and for the kingdom. I don’t want to miss out on opportunities. God wants me to look out for the interest of others. I can’t walk by what I see, but by faith in Him. He has a plan for my life and wants me to stay close to him, so he can use me.
Genesis 13 Verse 14 was my focus from God this week.
14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.
God said to me: “When you look around you, what is it you see? Now look beyond that deeper than you have looked and you will see Me; amongst and in everything you are surrounded by every second of every day. Every ion, every particle is Me. Always. Take comfort in that.”
We have NOTHING to fear as God is always surrounding us, forever and always, omnipresent and beaming with love. Like swimming in an ocean of pure joy and love.
This Week in the Life: Genesis 13
For the best experience, we suggest you listen to the first song, the message, and the second song.
1. Sunday Worship – First Song: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231008-Worship1.wav
2. Sunday Message: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231008-Message.wav
3. Sunday Worship – Second Song: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231008-Worship2.wav
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