“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.”
~ Genesis 13:16
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you selfish? Are you self-centered? Are you ever satisfied with what you have? Do you have to have your way or else? Do you cry when you do not get your way? Do you start arguments? Do you have to win if you are the one who starts an argument? Do you always have to be right? Do you always try to explain away why you might have been wrong about something that you did or said? Your grandpaa knows a missionary who seems to always want to have everything his way. This missionary never seems to can get it – that he is selfish, self-centered and can never be wrong about anything. Do you find it easy to be around a kid who is selfish, self-centered and can never be wrong about anything? The missionary who your grandpaa knows – who is selfish, self-centered and thinks that he is never wrong, really does believe that he has the right to do whatever he wants to do.
When your grandmaa and grandpaa were living in Aberdeen, South Dakota, your grandmaa and grandpaa befriended a young couple – Jim and Hally Brass, after Jim and Hally began to attend the same church where your grandmaa and grandpaa were members. Out of nowhere one day, your grandpaa got a call from Jim. Your grandpaa was in the Equipo SEPAL Guatemala field office when Jim called the Equipo SEPAL field office to talk with your grandpaa. Your grandpaa just happened to be talking to Abner – the Equipo SEPAL office administrator, when Jim called the Equipo SEPAL field office. Jim called your grandpaa that day to ask your grandpaa if he was in need of a computer. Jim was willing to get a computer to Guatemala for your grandpaa to use if your grandpaa could use a computer. Jim had never called the Equipo SEPAL Guatemala field office before he made this call nor has Jim called the Equipo SEPAL Guatemala field office since. When the office secretary told your grandpaa that a call had just come through from the United States – from Jim Brass, your grandpaa at the very exact moment was talking to Abner in his office about the support that your grandmaa and grandpaa had been receiving from Jim and Hally for years. Your grandpaa also had just mentioned to Abner about wishing that he had a different office computer when Jim called. Your grandpaa suggested to Jim that he take the computer that he was willing to send to your grandpaa over to Wooddale Church – that a short term ministry team from Wooddale Church that was planning to leave shortly for Guatemala could take the computer with them. Jim took the computer over to Wooddale Church and the short term ministry team from Wooddale Church took the computer to Guatemala for your grandpaa. The computer arrived in Guatemala with the Wooddale Church short term ministry team on a Friday. Abner set up the computer on that Friday for your grandpaa to use. Your grandpaa was planning to begin using his new computer on Monday. Your grandpaa on Saturday got a call at the condominium where your grandmaa and grandmaa were living. The call was from the missionary who your grandpaa knows who is selfish, self-centered and . . . this missionary told your grandmaa when she answered the telephone that he could not shut off the computer that Jim had sent to your grandpaa for his use. This missionary wanted to know how he could shut off the computer that Jim had sent to Guatemala for your grandpaa. This missionary had gone into the field office – on a Saturday, to use your grandpaa’s new computer. Your grandpaa had not given this missionary permission to use his new computer. This missionary thought that he had the right to use your grandpaa’s new computer without asking for your grandpaa’s permission. What would you have said to this missionary if you had answered the telephone?
After living for a time in Egypt, Abram and Lot moved back to the Negev area – to the area that would become one day part of the land of Israel. Abram and Lot had become quite wealthy while living in Egypt. Abram and Lot had accumulated a lot of servants and animals. Abram and Lot needed a lot of land area to live on with everything that they owned. When Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen began to fight with each other, Abram decided that he and Lot needed to split. Abram was Lot’s uncle. Abram was a lot older than Lot. Abram could have chosen the area where he wanted to live or he could have told Lot to go look for his own area to live. What would you have done if you had been Abram? Abram told Lot to choose the area where he wanted to live with all his possessions. Lot chose the best place to live in the area – which was the Jordon River valley. With choosing the best place to live in the area, Lot ended up with a couple of towns that were filled with really bad guys and gals. Genesis 13 recounts the splitting up of Abram and Lot. After Lot moved to where he wanted to live with all of his possessions, Abram moved further south – to a place called Hebron. Abram was on talking terms with God. After letting Lot decide first, God promised Abram that all the land that he could see would always be his and his extended family’s land. God also promised Abram in verse 16, “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.” God blessed Abram for doing what was right. To get a call from a guy at the exact moment that your grandpaa was talking to Abner about the guy and a computer could only have been a God thing. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that Jim and Hally listen for God’s voice and they do what God asks them to do. Jim and Hally have been blessed by God – for not being selfish or self-centered. God has not blessed the missionary who your grandpaa knows who is selfish and self-centered. God did not bless Lot – who was selfish and self-centered. If you would like to have your lives blessings filled, do not live selfish, self-centered lives.
Genesis 13 (253)