Bible:
So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 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.
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. 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.” And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. Genesis 13:1-13 ESV
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9 ESV
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” Romans 15:1-3 ESV
Reflection:
Many years ago the United States fought Great Britain to win independence. After being at war for several years and losing a major battle at Yorktown, Great Britain agreed to negotiate for peace. The British believed that the American colonies belonged to them, but in order to gain peace they had to give the United States its independence. They also gave fishing rights and a lot of land to the new nation. Great Britain gave up what they believed were their rights in order to gain peace.
God had given Abram a lot of wealth–money and animals–and he had promised the land to Abram and his descendants. But his nephew, Lot, who had traveled with him, also had a lot of animals, and there wasn’t room for both of them in the land. Their herdsman were starting to fight with each other. Abram gave his nephew the first choice for which land he wanted, even though God had promised the land to Abram. Lot should have showed his uncle respect as an older man and given Abram first choice. But Abram wanted there to be peace, and he knew God had given him so much that he was happy to be generous. He was willing to give up his rights in order to make peace.
God has given us more wealth than we can imagine. We might not have a lot of money or nice things, but God has given us his wonderful love. He showed that love in Jesus, who gave up his rights to become a human being like us. Jesus made peace between us and God by dying on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. He is the greatest peacemaker of all. In Jesus, we have all the love we’ll ever need, and we can share the love of Jesus with others. We can share the good news of God’s forgiveness and help others find peace with God.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for giving your love so generously to us, and for making peace between us and God. Amen.
Source:
https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/treaty-of-paris
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