DIVIDE AND CONQUER
"I have come for division." –Luke 12:51
Jesus came to divide families, "three against two and two against
three" (Lk 12:52). These divisions are tragic because they are due to
the refusal by family members to give their lives to Jesus and love Him.
However, divisions are not all bad. "There may even have to be
factions among you for the tried and true to stand out clearly" (1 Cor
11:19). Through divisions, those who are lukewarm in their faith turn
cold. And Jesus exclaimed: "How I wish you were one or the other – hot
or cold!" (Rv 3:15)
Furthermore, when God's word "divides soul
and spirit, joints and marrow" (Heb 4:12), cold and hot, or truth and
lies, we can better understand Jesus' Gospel. We see more clearly that
our decision in life is either Jesus or Satan, heaven or hell, salvation
or damnation, light or darkness, life or death. We may be mixed up,
have mixed motives, or feel mixed emotions. Nevertheless, Jesus came to
divide those things mixed together by sin. He divides the dividing word
rightly (see 2 Tm 2:15, KJV). The incarnate Word, Jesus, uses the
written word, the Bible, to clarify by dividing. Then we don't stay so
mixed up that we refuse to freely give our lives to Jesus forever. Jesus
divides to put us back together according to His perfect will.
PRAYER: | Jesus, give me the painful divisions that lead to victorious unity. |
PROMISE: | "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." –Rm 6:23 |
PRAISE: | St. Paul wrote a vow in the
Passionist rule to daily meditate on the Passion of Jesus. He wanted to
ensure that all would remember what Jesus suffered for our salvation.
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