So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. (Gen 13:11)
It was a tea party with a tiny two-year-old and her animal friends—Miss Bunny, Baby Flamingo, and Master Doggie. She gathered them up from the play corner and gave each a teacup, a saucer, and a few marshmallows. In a tea party among animal friends, no one argues over the best chair, the color of their cups, or the number of marshmallows they eat.
Unfortunately, our interactions are not always so easy. We work, play, and worship as real people. Sometimes we may prefer to have the most visible role or the final word and be tempted to slip out the back door when quiet, behind-the-scenes service is required. In other words, we are sometimes tempted to be like Lot, always choosing the best for ourselves.
But in our better moments, we choose to be like Abram. We may still have an “up front role,” but we are also willing to clean the church, run the errands, help in the kitchen, and take the back of the line at potluck dinners. Like Abram, we care more about pleasing God than having the “best.”
As head of the family, Abram could have had the final say in all matters. Yet he was also a man of character. Our choices and attitudes build character. It is up to us whether our character will be greedy or godly.
Build godly character by choosing God’s best.
Pamela Kuhn’s favorite word is joy, and her favorite place is anywhere that holds books and sells tea. Her husband, RB, is an associate professor at Indiana Wesleyan University.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
