Carry Mine ft Tedashii
Initial lessons from the story of Abraham and Lot —
- I can trust God to take care of my needs, even though others seem to help themselves.
- I am to assist my family — and others — when I are able, when I see them in trouble.
- I see in Abraham an example of courage and boldness to emulate.
- I am to worship God with my material wealth, as an indication that He brings the victory.
- I am to be careful not to ally myself with those who have decided not to follow Jesus any more than is necessary.
The last lesson really comes from Lot. Lot chose to live in Sodom, a place where evil ran rampant. He may have been considered righteous, but when war broke out, he and his family were captured along with the rest of the inhabitants. Regardless of our own spiritual walk with God, when we walk with those who do not walk with God we will face the same consequences as they do. It is wisdom to either separate or at least, to distinguish ourselves. As a family member of Abram, he should have chosen to be a companion and disciple of Abram. When I go out of my way from what God has called me to be, I remove myself from under God’s protection. We cannot expect that the choice made by our lusts, should end in our comfort.
The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward – Genesis 13:14
I cannot imagine what was going on in Abram’s heart and how he felt to receive such attention from God. This testimony reflects the call of each follower of Christ and it is no smaller than what was given to Abram. The call of God puts us all as participants in some part of His massive plan for the redemption of humanity and of the whole world. In every generation there is a need for God’s people to realize that the call He places upon them is no smaller than that which He gave Abram.
Lesson on temptation – temptation is not sin. Sometimes being tempted makes us feel dirty. The spontaneous thoughts of hatred or lust or envy or theft shock us. I’ve always appreciated a saying attributed to Martin Luther: “You can’t help it if a bird flies over your head, but you don’t need to let him make a nest in your hair.”
When Jesus was going through temptation, He drew on God’s Word and used it to declare in the midst of it all that only God was to be worshipped.
and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” – Luke 4:6-8 ESV
From here Jesus springboarded into ministry and established his authority. From this position He was ready to move from gaining believers, to turning those believers into disciples. More specifically, He goes from hundreds of believers, down to focusing on being with twelve.
but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” – Luke 4:43
Final lessons from Jesus —
● The intentionality of Jesus. The things He did were with purpose and with an end goal: To restore the relationship with us and our Heavenly Father….the good news, the gospel!
● Everything Jesus was, the wholeness of Him, was to reveal the Father and make a way for us to spend eternity with Him. It permeated everything He did, where He went, what He said. It was deeper than a thing He did, it was His very being.
Disciple 