Prosperity can be far more dangerous than adversity. When God blesses us with wealth, health, and abundance, we’re prone to become arrogant, greedy, self-sufficient, and selfish. In this message from Genesis 13, we follow Abraham through the test of prosperity—and discover how his example teaches us to make decisions that honor God rather than our own desires.
God’s Word Is Relevant for Today
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:4, “Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.” Every passage of Scripture—including Old Testament narratives—is relevant for our lives today. God doesn’t make His Word relevant; it already is. Our job is to understand how relevant it already is.
Paul gives two immediate benefits of Scripture: perseverance and encouragement. When we need endurance to face today, tomorrow, or next week, we need the truth of God. His Word gives us hope as we look to the future and make decisions according to His will.
One writer put it this way: “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts his sails.” The Bible helps you set the sails of your life because the winds of circumstance are very often uncertain. Abraham’s story in Genesis 13 shows us both the test of adversity and—far more dangerously—the test of prosperity.
The Test of Prosperity
Abraham had just come out of Egypt after a severe famine, but God had used even Pharaoh to bless him with livestock, servants, silver, and gold. He returned to Canaan significantly wealthier than when he left. Yet verse 4 tells us, “Abraham called on the name of the Lord.” Here was a wealthy man, fresh off of failure, humbly seeking the Lord.
A Scottish essayist and historian wrote insightfully: “Adversity is hard on a man, but for every person who can withstand prosperity, there are hundreds who can handle adversity.” We do far better with adversity because the goal is just survival. But when prosperity comes, it’s easy to become arrogant and greedy and self-sufficient and selfish.
Consider how wealthy you already are. If you have a home, food in your refrigerator, and a car to drive, you are wealthier than 90% of the rest of humanity. If you have two cars you can put gas in, you’re wealthier than 97% of the world’s population. How humbly do you walk with the Lord with hands wide open? Everything you have—your health, your relationships, your finances, your job—is a gift from God. Naked you come into this world, and naked you will leave.
Abraham’s Generous Response
When strife broke out between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen over grazing land, Abram didn’t demand his rights. He didn’t pull rank as the patriarch. Instead, he showed remarkable generosity: “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are relatives. Is not the entire land before you? Please separate from me. If you choose left, I’ll go to the right. If you choose right, I’ll go to the left.”
Abraham willingly allowed the Lord God to be in control of the outcome. He had every reason to insist on his own way, but he modeled the kind of selfforgetful generosity that would characterize Christ’s own sacrifice for us. This is the spirit we need when facing decisions that involve our possessions, our families, and our futures.
Lot’s Costly Choice
Lot raised his eyes and saw all the vicinity of the Jordan—it was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt going down to Zoar. It was lush and beautiful, an oasis. And “Lot chose for himself” (v. 11). There was no reference to the Lord. No petition for guidance. No appeal to Abram for wisdom. He saw, he chose for himself, he journeyed, he settled.
Look at the downward slide: He saw the benefits, chose based on immediate gratification, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. He never considered the impact on his family living in that culture. Just a few chapters later, the consequences are devastating. The present-me mentality—”what’s in it for me?”—is epidemic. We fail to consider the long-range results of our options, not just the positives but also the negative ramifications of our decisions.
Four Principles for Making Better Decisions
1. Always look beyond the benefits promised by the opportunity.
The benefit is usually obvious and can be grasped immediately. One of the major weaknesses of our culture is that we want it now—instant gratification. Children see something and immediately want it. Immature adults do the same. But wise decision-makers consider the long-term consequences, not just the immediate appeal.
2. Never underestimate the impact of the negative consequences.
The positive benefits will rarely be as good as we anticipate, and the negative impact is usually worse than we expect. Before you make any decision, remember that there are always negative consequences for every decision. Don’t underestimate them when you’re considering the benefits.
3. Forget about pleasing yourself.
Every decision I’ve made where I was the primary beneficiary was not a good decision. Philippians 2 tells us: “Do nothing out from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also the interests of others.”
When making a decision, think through how it will affect your spouse first, then your immediate family, then your church family. Consider also those you may never see this side of heaven—like the children in Recife, Brazil, who have been blessed through missions partnerships. Let’s forget about pleasing ourselves and make the commitment to stay open enough to simply do what the Lord asks.
4. Remember: with greater independence comes freedom and the need for strong discipline.
If you lack strong discipline, you will yield to the temptation of self-centeredness and instant gratification in your decision every single time. Like Lot, you will look at a decision only from your own perspective. With greater independence comes freedom and the need for spiritual discipline.
If your decision is going to take a toll on your walk with God, it is a bad decision. Every day we face a variety of decisions. Some are small, some are big, some seem inconsequential—but every decision matters. Go to the Lord and say, “Lord, I’m tempted by this because it will feel good. But not my will but Yours be done.” If you rush into a marriage, purchase a house or car because of how it will benefit you, or take or quit a job only for personal reasons, you will look back and wonder what you were thinking.
Trust God’s Direction
God doesn’t want you to get stuck in the shame and guilt of the past, and He certainly doesn’t want you to fear and be anxious about the future. He wants you to move forward with Him in this moment. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
You will never regret going to Him in prayer and walking in obedience. As Abraham learned, the God who gives perseverance and encouragement through His Word wants you to be wise stewards of the incredible grace and gifts He has given you. Learn from both adversity and prosperity. Be generous, selfforgetful, and spiritually disciplined. And trust that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.