Fork In The Road: Choices

What do we look for at the fork in the road? Many take the ‘easy’ path. One choice usually appears that way. Is it possible to come out ahead by giving up your choice? That very thought is at odds with our view of common sense. But aren’t we told not to rely on our own way of thinking? As you can see, that is the case! And that helps all of us when we face challenging choices.

Fork In The Road: Choose Your Company

In the previous post we saw some of the lessons Abraham learned at the fork in the road. And it is very apparent that he took his lessons seriously. We know that by what took place another fork in the road.
Abraham returned to Canaan as a wiser, more humble man. But it wasn’t long before he faced another test. This test underscored another choice he had made at a fork in the road. And this test was a challenging, graphic choice of right-or-left.
God’s original call to Abraham was to leave his father’s house and his entire family (except his wife). At this first fork on the road of Abraham’s life, he left but he didn’t leave everyone behind. One of the people he didn’t leave was his nephew, Lot. Abraham faced several difficulties which were centered on Lot. If Lot had been left behind, as God instructed, things would have been different.
Abraham’s test in Canaan was one of those ‘Lot’ things. It involved money, relationships, company and trust. And many of your challenging choices concern these very things. Abraham and Lot each chose company. But their choices had vastly different results!

Fork In The Road: Ease Or Company

Scripture gives us the following information in Genesis 13:

Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.

The problem was big enough to cause contention between the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot. Abraham handled the problem. And his actions serve as an example to us. Notice:

• Abraham recognized the problem
• He sought to keep peace in his family
• Abraham offered Lot a choice

That third item is very significant. And it’s not so obvious to us. In the culture of that day the person with all the rights of choice was Abraham. He didn’t act from the position that was rightfully his. He humbled himself and deferred to Lot.
They gazed out on the plain at all the land before them. Before them was the well-watered, fertile valley of the Jordan River. But they could also see the more arid regions. It was easy to spot the place where flocks would prosper. So why would Abraham give that choice away?
You probably already know that Lot made the easy choice. He wanted the fertile land. But that choice relegated his uncle to the hardships of the desert. How could he do that to someone who had provided so much for him? Well, it wasn’t Lot that made the easy choice. And it wasn’t Abraham who would face the barren consequences of this choice!

Fork In The Road: Appearances Can Be Deceiving

I said earlier that Abraham and Lot both chose company. If you follow the account it only takes four verses to come to this line:

…but Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.

It looks like Lot was choosing the choice land. And at some level that is true. But Lot was also choosing the company he wanted to keep. He was tempted by the sinful life that is exemplified by Sodom. He left Abraham. And by all accounts Abraham was the most Godly and redeeming factor in Lot’s life. He thought he was getting the easy life. What he got was the dry, sandy isolation of a spiritual desert.
And it appears to us, and to Lot, that Abraham got the bad end of that deal. He didn’t. This choice shows us what Abraham learned as he returned from Egypt to Canaan. The condition of the land and the people didn’t matter. What mattered most to Abraham was walking with the Lord and trusting Him for all the riches of heaven. Abraham wasn’t in the desert at all. There was nothing he lacked and it was due to Company he chose to keep.
So at the next fork in the road…choose to walk with the Lord. That may appear to be a hard choice but it isn’t. The other way may seem easy but there is a huge price to pay.

Soli Deo Gloria!