Exposition
God calls a person for any divine assignment from a family. In most cases, the person may be the first in the family to be called by God to receive salvation and hope through Jesus Christ. How does the family take your new faith and commitment to God? At times some of us Christians are tempted to advise some people to withhold their calling or hide it until some presupposed appropriate time because of how their family will take it. Abram informed his family of his decision to follow the call of God and even took Lot his nephew with him. Also, when he faced a potential conflict with his nephew Lot, Abram took the initiative in settling the dispute. He gave Lot the first choice and showed a willingness to risk being cheated. When Sodom was defeated by Chedorlaomer’s army, Abraham chased and defeated him, not because of Sodom, but because of his family, Lot.
Our calling from God should not in any way destroy our family but rather make us better people to them. Sometimes, we must get involved in a painful situation in order to help our family like Abraham going after Chedorlaomer’s army for Lot and his family; we should be willing to act immediately when they need our help. We ought to be good examples of godliness to them and willing to pay the price of peace, even if it requires us to lose materially (1 Timothy 5:8). The call may take you away from home but not your family. God has a reason for putting you in that family. Don’t neglect them. Your family must be the first people who enjoy the blessings of your calling just like Lot who followed Abraham. How many people have you helped in your family besides your spouse and children?