Pay the Price to Focus on God

[14] “And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; [15] for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” — Genesis 13:14-15 (NKJV)

When God called Abraham (then Abram) to leave his father’s house, he never told him to go with Lot, his cousin. He didn’t even mention Sarah’s name (then Sarai). But as the head of his home, of course, his family should follow suit according to God’s leading.

In the long run, Abraham left home with his wife and Lot, his cousin. There were no conspiracies between the two men until their possessions became so numerous that fights broke out between their herdsmen (see Genesis 13:7). Abraham was a man who loved peace. He went to Lot and told him to separate himself from him (Abraham). Guess what happened next?

God came to Abraham and told him to lift up his eyes and look from the place he was. And God added that He had given the land he was on, namely, Canaan, to him and his descendants forever. Interesting! Today, that is where the Israelites live. But for Lot, where he chose, was destroyed by God because of the numerous sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He thought seeing a well-watered plain was a sign that the land was good. Some people make wrong choices in life because they’re not spiritually discerning about the long-term effects of their actions.

But my question is, how would Abraham hear God if Lot was still around? Strife and contention don’t create a conducive atmosphere to hear from God directly.

To pay the price to focus on God, you’d have to let some relationships die in your life. Why? Because the presence of such people in your life won’t help you to follow God’s leadership. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19:29 (NKJV):

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.”

From the verse above, following Jesus can cost you close relationships. Till today, I’ve not seen anybody rise to a high feat in the ministry without it costing some relationships, including family. Learn from this and press on towards fulfilling God’s call upon your life.

You’re a blessing.