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- Apr 25, 2006
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Barneys are bad!
'... "Let's not have fighting between us" ...' Genesis 13:8
We're not talking about huge purple dinosaurs here, but the kind of barney when it's your face that turns purple; from shouting! Abram and Lot could have fallen out badly when it came to parting ways and deciding who would get which bit of land. But Abram realised that an argument was not the way forward so he bit the bullet and did something about it.
We can learn a couple of things from old Abe here that help us in handling conflict and confrontations in our own relationships with family and friends.
1) Don't wait for someone else to make the first move.
Abe realised that, left unchecked, a problem could arise so he took the initiative and nipped it in the bud. Growth and blessing call for wisdom so be wise, and if you sense a problem between you and someone else, try to make the first move in putting things right.
2) Don't worry about missing out on something;
God will make it up to you. Lot chose the lush fields when Abe gave him the choice and it might have looked to Abram that he was left with the dud end of the deal. But read on to the end of the story, and you'll see that it all went pear shaped for Lot, but Abram's decisions blessed all mankind. God's plans for you are bigger than who wins the argument. Try to be a peacemaker, and leave the barneys behind you.
written by Bob Gass
'... "Let's not have fighting between us" ...' Genesis 13:8
We're not talking about huge purple dinosaurs here, but the kind of barney when it's your face that turns purple; from shouting! Abram and Lot could have fallen out badly when it came to parting ways and deciding who would get which bit of land. But Abram realised that an argument was not the way forward so he bit the bullet and did something about it.
We can learn a couple of things from old Abe here that help us in handling conflict and confrontations in our own relationships with family and friends.
1) Don't wait for someone else to make the first move.
Abe realised that, left unchecked, a problem could arise so he took the initiative and nipped it in the bud. Growth and blessing call for wisdom so be wise, and if you sense a problem between you and someone else, try to make the first move in putting things right.
2) Don't worry about missing out on something;
God will make it up to you. Lot chose the lush fields when Abe gave him the choice and it might have looked to Abram that he was left with the dud end of the deal. But read on to the end of the story, and you'll see that it all went pear shaped for Lot, but Abram's decisions blessed all mankind. God's plans for you are bigger than who wins the argument. Try to be a peacemaker, and leave the barneys behind you.
written by Bob Gass
