Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Abraham Lincoln made these words from the Bible famous in a speech against slavery when he ran for the state senate in Illinois. Today, the United States is still divided with anarchists murdering, burning, and looting. People wage war on Christianity by lying. We need to pray for this country while we still have religious freedom.
In Jesus time, the Jewish faith was divided. Some were against Jesus and some were for Jesus. The Pharisees were against Jesus. They had power in the temples and weren’t about to give it up. They fabricated lies against Jesus as opponents often do. Their lie was weak. Unfortunately, Satan won’t drive his own warriors out of our minds and spirits.
Jesus adds another teaching moment. In addition to looking at kingdoms and countries, he wants us to examine our families. What can we do to unite our families? Perhaps an act of holiness. Maybe we’re pretending to know an in-law’s heart, and we don’t. God knows exactly what is needed. Ask him.
Father God, I pray for the United States and its leaders. Please let a leader rise who can unite our country and stop the violence. Let us not forget we were founded as one nation under God. I pray for my family, Lord. Show me what is needed keep my family strong and undivided. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen
You could write novels on this subject. A house divided against itself can not stand. I believe this is true sometimes, but not always. Our closest house is our own family and it certainly can be true that if the family is divided it will fall. For example though, look at the Methodist church. It is divided because of different beliefs. They are busy dividing into two different sects but the Methodist church still stands, perhaps not like it was but it still stands. I pray for this country and strong leadership. You say, “Pray for this country while we still have religious freedom.” I hope that statement never comes to be. I also pray for my family and extended family, that our differences will be healed through Christ’s love.
You are correct. Most traditional religions have split or are in the process of splitting. Having different opinions is healthy and leads to stimulating conversations. All Christians can agree on Christ’s teachings, death on the cross, and resurrection. None of us are able to keep all the teachings in the Bible, that’s why I stress loving one another. Most splits are caused by people who are against homosexual leaders in the church. But I would like to ask what Christian does not have a sexual sin. I doubt if there is one, so I am not sure why Christians are hung up on other people’s sins when they sin themselves. We are to love one another, and if God wants to convict someone of their sin, fine, but it is for us to convict. The Methodist church I visited in Marianna had no one under 75 except a couple of grandchildren. It will die soon. It’s unfortunate. A lot of Methodist churches are keeping up with the times and are doing better. I also pray for our extended family.