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. (Gen. 13:8)
My father loves the color red. His trucks down through the years have been red. His car is red. He likes red in his clothes. He just loves red. When it was time for the church he attends to purchase new carpet, he voted for a dark red. But he was the only one who wanted red! After the vote, someone asked him about not getting his desired color. His response? “I can worship on green carpet as easy as red.”
Unfortunately, Lot and Abram’s herders were not as Christlike as my father. They quarreled among themselves, each trying to grab the best place to water and feed their livestock. Every day was push and shove, each laying claim to the best watering place and grazing. When Abram heard about it, he quickly came to Lot and said, “Let’s not have any quarreling between us or our herders. As relatives we should learn to get along.”
Many people, like Abram (relatives in the family of God), refuse to quarrel over petty issues. They don’t argue over colors or styles of music. They don’t argue over hymnbook choices or versions of the Bible. When one comes with a quarrel, they refuse to be drawn in. They just come to church and worship, adopting Abram’s attitude of “Let’s not have any quarreling.”
Consider the Latin proverb, “When one will not, two cannot quarrel.”
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®.
