Day 33: Peacemaking Church

Daily Devotional

Genesis 13:5-9

5“And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

In today’s passage, there is an important lesson we can learn about peacemaking through the way Abraham approached this particular conflict with his family. The Bible tells us that after Abraham left Egypt and settled back into the land of Canaan, an argument arose between his herdsmen and the herdsmen of his nephew, Lot. The problem was their families had become so prosperous (especially with livestock), that the land they were living on could no longer support them living together. So faced with this conflict, Abraham made the suggestion that they should move apart to give space for their flocks to grow. But what Abraham does next to pursue and keep the peace went beyond expectation because he let Lot choose which land he wanted to take first. Through this action, we see the 2 qualities of peacemaking, humility and self-sacrifice come to life. Because of his status as the head of the household, Abraham had every right to make his own decision on how to resolve the situation at hand. At the same time, he didn’t have to consult with Lot and could have very easily chosen the portion of land that would have benefited his needs first. However, we see that Abraham didn’t use this title for his advantage. Instead, he humbly suggested Lot choose which part of the land he wanted, and without quarreling, he accepted the other part of the land as his own. Abraham shows us in pursuing peace, he was wiling to humble himself and sacrifice greatly because Lot wasn’t his enemy, He wasn’t someone he had to defeat in order to have a better outcome because his sacrifice led to maintaining the peace. Sometimes in our conflicts it is necessary for us to make sacrifices to keep the peace.

Weekly Application

Peacemaking is more than just clearing out conflicts in our relationships. It seeks to build up relationships and have them thrive. Think of the relationships that you want to see deepen and grow. Then, think of ways you can serve them. They can be as small as sending a kind text message, helping out with house chores, or buying a meal. Also, pray for them, lifting them up to God that he may bless them. Let’s build up our relationships and be a peacemaking church.