So how would Abram handle this situation? He had adopted Lot after the death of Lot’s father, perhaps raising him as his own. As the older one of the two, was not Abram entitled to take the best for himself?

11, 12. What generous offer did Abram make Lot, and why was Lot’s choice unwise?

¹¹ But “Abram said to Lot: ‘Please, do not let any quarreling continue between me and you and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we men are brothers. Is not the whole land available to you? Please, separate from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right; but if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.’”

13. How is Abram’s example helpful to Christians who might become involved in a financial dispute?

¹³ Abram, though, displayed faith in Jehovah’s promise that his seed would eventually own the entire land; he did not quibble over a small section of it. Generously, he acted in harmony with the principle later stated at 1 Corinthians 10:24: “Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person.” This is a good reminder for those who might get involved in a financial dispute with a fellow believer. Instead of following the counsel at Matthew 18:15-17, some have taken their brothers to court. (1 Corinthians 6:1, 7) Abram’s example shows that it is better to suffer financial loss than to bring reproach upon Jehovah’s name or to damage the peace of the Christian congregation.​—James 3:18.