I am LOVING this week!  The heat of the winter (Yeah, I said it.  What winter?) has given way to almost fall-like temperatures this week.  This is the weather I love.  This is the weather that makes me feel alive.  Now, if only I had a window in my classroom…

In case you are new here, Wednesdays around here are devoted to the Word.  This year, we are going through Genesis one chapter at a time and letting God reveal something to us out of that one chapter.  This week is 14, which means 15 is next week.  Please feel free to drop into the comments and share what God says to you!

Genesis 14: 14 (GWT)–When Abram heard that his nephew had been captured, he armed his 318 trained men, born in his own household, and pursued the four kings all the way to Dan.

Note to self:  be as forgiving and loving and sacrificial as Abram in this verse.

Last week, I wrote about how Lot got all self-centered and two-year-old-ish and snatched up the best land for himself, even though it meant taking a turn around the dance floor with some major sin.  This week, Lot and his family are carted off by four kings as part of the spoils of war.

And, naturally, Abram thumbs his nose in Lot’s direction and says, “Hey, you asked for it.”  Right?  Isn’t that what he did?

Uhm, no.  Going entirely against human nature (because, admit it, we love to see people get “what’s coming to them,” don’t we?), Abram gathers up a group of his own men and takes off after the whole group, fights a battle, and frees his nephew and a whole lot of others.

We aren’t given Abram’s motivation here, but I’m willing to guess it has to do with the fact that Lot was family, and family takes care of family, even when they grab all of the best land and clutch it to their chests in a fit of bad decision-making.  Thing is, well, everybody on this planet is our family.  How often do we rejoice when someone gets their comeuppance?  We’ve all done it, and we all shouldn’t.  Trust me, we have our own comeuppance held back only by a barrier that has a striking resemblance to a cross.  Aren’t we glad we don’t get what we deserve?

It’s hard to help instead of judge, isn’t it?  I think I might need to pin this verse to my bulletin board.  Or tattoo it to my hand.  Or something where I see it every day.

Help.  Don’t judge.  Yikes.  That’s a tough one, isn’t it?

-JB