From the Home Place

March 16, 2026

It’s a fridged 3 degrees out there. The high for today is to be 43 degrees, but the best part is that the winds are to be much calmer today. Please pray with me that today will be the day that the Nebraska fires will be controlled.

In the adult Sunday School class at our local church, we continue our study the life of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. Yesterday we were in Chapter 20. Though this is a difficult chapter to study because of what goes on between Lot and his daughters, it is a valid portion of our Bible. So, we had to ask, “God what are we to learn from this portion of Your word?

You see, if you start reading in Genesis 12, where Abram is first introduced to us, by the time you get to Genesis 20 you have figured out that Abram, now known as Abraham, was extremely rich, the leader of a multitude of people, called by God and just like you and I.

The Bible tells us that if you know Jesus as Savior, you were called to salvation by God, much like Abram was called by God. The Bible also teaches us that if you are a human, you have, and possibly still do to some degree, struggle to be fully obedient to God.

As you read Genesis 12-25 you will quickly discover that Abram loved God, much like you do. You will also learn that Abram would build an alter to God and worship God, much as we do. Yet Abram would also lie twice about his wife just to protect his own hide, perhaps much like we do. You see friends, one of the things the life of Abraham teaches us is that God has determined to work in and through the lives of people, just like us.

So, in our lives today, though we will most likely not do it perfectly, God wants to work within us, so that He can work through us, just like He did with Abraham. Read the passage. I’m convinced that Abraham loved God deeply, but when push came to shove, he too often took matters into his own hands instead of trusting God fully, just like we do.

Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was not an evil man, though he did live in an evil land. Lot chose to settle near Sodom. God graciously rescued Lot before He destroyed Sodom. Lot and his daughters finally ran to the hills where God had told them to go, and there they commit incest. The Bible says Lot was a righteous man, but for whatever reason he couldn’t get out from under the influence of living in Sodom, just like us.

I hope we are each willing to admit, that the world around us has impacted our lives to some degree, and once that influence is there, it is really difficult to get out from under its control within our lives. We struggle just like Abraham and Lot both struggled.

You see my friends, that is why we are told to keep our focus upon Jesus. For when we lose that focus, we will naturally default back to worldly ways, ways that are contrary to walking with God. Yet, much as He did with Abraham and Lot when they reverted, our gracious Heavenly Father calls us back to Himself. Why, not because we deserve it, but because He has determined it. God our Father has chosen us for salvation in Christ Jesus. As such, when we confess our sins, He is righteous and just to forgive us of our sins and to “cleanse us of all unrighteousness” according to 1 John 1:9. Yet, lest we miss the point, in 1 John 1:10 we read, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

Because we have been saved by grace, God has declared us His righteous children, so that when we sin, we can confess our sin and be cleansed by His amazing grace. Not because we deserve any of it, but because He has given us the gift of loving us first.

Today, go live the life God has given to you. If you should stumble and fall backwards into worldly ways, admit the error to God, accept His forgiveness and walk forward with Him, just like Abraham did! I marvel that the perfect God has determined to reveal Himself through imperfect people. Praise God!!!

Walking by faith with you, Neal