DAY 1 – FEBRUARY 6
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “HE CALLED ON THE NAME OF THE LORD”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 13:1-18
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY SCRIPTURE: “…and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.” Genesis 13:4
What does it mean to you to call on the name of the Lord? Abram returned to the southern area of Canaan and went from place to place. One commentator pointed out, “The original Hebrew text gives the sense that Abram traveled in stages, as if he was still trying to make sense of what had happened.” Abram realized he needed again to call on the name of the Lord. He needed to strengthen His relationship with God. Abram needed to worship the one true God. He needed to hear from God. There is no substitute for calling upon the name of the Lord. Abram knew he needed to pray. He needed the all-powerful God to speak to Him.
What does it mean to you to call on the name of the Lord? Some years ago, I did an in-depth personal study of some of the Psalms. As part of that study, I memorized the 34th Psalm. Part of that Psalm says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 34:4-6. The Psalmist shared his personal experience. In his own poverty, he called out to the Lord and the Lord heard him. God hears and answers the cry of the poor man. Though we experience spiritual, emotional, or material poverty, these do not exempt us from entering the throne room of God. We can come to the Lord in our weakness and poverty. There is nothing we can do to earn an audience with the King, but yet He listens to the cry of our heart when we call upon Him. The Psalmist said, “‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.’” Psalm 91:14-15.
What does it mean to you to call on the name of the Lord? Calling upon the Lord in prayer is more than a privilege or expectation. It is a requirement of our relationship with God. Calling upon the Lord in prayer is a lifestyle. We will never wear God out by calling upon Him or asking of Him. Maybe as a parent, you have had times when you have grown weary of your children calling upon you or asking you for something. The Lord never grows tired of His children calling upon His name. One of the great blessings of being a Christian is the privilege of calling on the Lord in all situations and at all times. Paul reminds us to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6). A possible question to consider is this, “Do I call upon Him enough or do I try to do too much in my own strength?” God has provided access to His throne room, but we must use it. Billy Graham said, “Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask.” As I close this devotional thought today, I want to ask you to consider one more time, “What does it mean to you to call on the name of the Lord?”
DAY 2 – FEBRUARY 7
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “QUARRELLING AROSE”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 13:1-18
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 13:5-7
KEY SCRIPTURE: “And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.” Genesis 13:7
Quarrelling started to arise between Abram’s herdsmen and
the herdsmen of
The Apostle Paul speaks about quarreling in his second letter to Timothy. He writes, “Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.” II Timothy 2:14. Paul warns about strife and quarreling, and the danger and damage it does to those who listen to it. His instruction is to not spend time talking and debating about empty teachings that have no value. The point is that we need the Word of Truth, which is the Gospel, in contrast with the word of man’s opinion or philosophy. Paul continues the theme in verses 23-24. “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.” II Timothy 2:23-24
In his letter, James writes, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:1-3. Quarreling and strife reveal wrong motives and self-centeredness.
The book of Proverbs warns against quarreling and strife.
Proverbs 17:14 says, “Starting a quarrel
is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” Proverbs 20:3 states, “It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to
quarrel.”
The other day, I was doing some painting. As I painted with some primer, I was watching carefully to make sure that I was keeping the paint smooth. I did not want to allow any drips of paint to form that would hinder the quality of the paint job. We must watch carefully in our lives for the drops of selfishness that can form and result in quarrelling and strife. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3. Watch carefully that quarreling and strife do not arise in your life or in your relationships.
DAY 3 – FEBRUARY 8
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “A PEACEMAKER”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 13:1-18
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 13:8-9
KEY SCRIPTURE: “So Abram said to Lot, ‘Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.’” Genesis 13:8-9
Abram was a peacemaker. He was committed to not having quarreling between himself and Lot or between his herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. He was willing to do what was necessary to avoid quarreling. Because of their relationship, quarreling was not appropriate. Abram desired to resolve the mounting tension. John Harley wrote, “Their conversation leads us to imagine that Aram took Lot to a look-out in order that they could see the lands both to the west, toward the Mediterranean, and to the east-the deep rift Arabah, which included the majestic Dead Sea.”
Abram took leadership by suggesting to
A peacemaker seeks to avert quarrels. A peacemaker seeks to harmonize differences. A peacemaker chooses a course of action that will result in peace. Peacemakers are promoters of peace. Proverbs 12:20 states, “There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.” The story is told, “A little girl snuggled up to her mother one night before bedtime. ‘Mama,’ she said, ‘I was a peacemaker today.’ ‘How was that?’ asked the mother. The girl replied, ‘I heard something and I didn’t tell it!’”
God cares about our relationships with others. As I mentioned in the sermon on this text, the Sermon on the Mount is full of teachings from Jesus centered on relationships. In the Beatitudes, which are part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of being a peacemaker. He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9. Jesus is not saying, “Blessed are those who love peace.” The blessing is for those who do the things to create or make peace.
Jesus’ whole life and ministry emphasized peace. Pastor Randal Denny pointed out that the New Testament is interwoven with the theme of peace. Eighty-eight times, the word “peace” appears. It appears in every book of the New Testament. Each of the Epistles begins and ends with a prayer for peace. Jesus was an Ambassador of Peace. As His ambassadors, we are called to be peacemakers. Abram was a peacemaker. Will you be a peacemaker today?
DAY 4 – FEBRUARY 9
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “CHOICES”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 13:1-18
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY SCRIPTURE: “So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:” Genesis 13:11
Life is filled with choices. Selfishness can get in the way of making the best choice. As I think of choices, I am reminded of the choice Joshua called the people to make. He said, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.
I remember just a few things about that an old house across the street from Sequoia Jr. High, which I attended in Fontana. It was an old stone house that sat back off the road, behind bushes and vines that had grown up and around the house. The house had the old tubular metal keys for the doors. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Ella lived there when I was young. They had a little barber shop in Fontana. They also pastored a little church out in the hills of Riverside County for several years. They committed their lives to serving the Lord as a tentmaker pastor. Aunt Ella went to be with the Lord over 15 years ago and Uncle Bill many years before that. The one thing I remember most about that old house on Sequoia was a plaque that hung on the wall. It has stuck in my mind through these years, though I have seen it on many walls since. The reason I remember it so well, I believe, is that they really lived it. The plaque read, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Your life, like mine, will have many choices. Don’t let selfishness determine the choices you make. Allow the Lord to be the driving force and guide for every choice you make.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.
DAY 5 – FEBRUARY 10
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “ABRAMS’ RESOURCE”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 13:1-18
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 13:14-18
KEY SCRIPTURE: “All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.” Genesis 13:15
Many years ago, I heard the story of a poor old widow living in the Scottish Highlands. She lived in poverty and was struggling just to make it. One day, a caring person heard that this woman was in need, so he decided to pay her a visit. As he listened, the aging lady told of her limited resources and the difficulty she was having.
In the conversation, she shared that she had one son. As the man listened, the widow told him that her son lived in Australia and was doing very well. With this information, the man asked if the son was doing anything to help her with her situation, since it seemed that he had some financial resources. She responded that he was doing nothing to help her. She said, “He writes me regularly, once a month, but only sends me a little picture with his letter."
The gentleman asked to see one of the pictures that she had received. He discovered that that each one of them was a draft for ten pounds. Her son was sending her the resources she needed but she was not aware of them. Neither was she using the resources she had been given.
God was Abram’s resource. Think about that for a moment. The God who was the Creator of all was Abram’s resource. The God who said, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” was Abram’s resource. Psalm 50:9-10. This God said, “All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.” This God said, “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted”. This God said, “Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” Genesis 13:15-17.
The generous God who owns it all was Abram’s resource. God is the God of all resource. The good news is that, through faith, this God is your resource. He is able to provide you will all the strength, comfort, peace, and wisdom that you need. You are not on your own today. You have a resource. The ocean of His grace will never be drained. The rivers of His love and mercy will never go dry, regardless of how much you drink from them.
“When I am burdened,
or weary and sad, Jesus is all I need.
Never he fails to uplift and make glad. Jesus is all I need.
“All that I need He
will always be, All that I need till His face I see,
All
that I need thro’ eternity.
Jesus is all I need.” (James Rowe)