What is the Division Really About?

The division in our country is nothing less than the division Jesus spoke of to his disciples: "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on the earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Fathers will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law" (Luke 12:51-53 NKJV). The division we are experiencing and seeing in the world today is the division of people because of the Lord. Although it seems to be about politics right now, that's just a disguise. The truth is people are divided over following Jesus and not following Jesus. Some are saying it's about a particular politician they don't like, but that is not really what it's about. What the division is really about is whether people want to repent of their sinful ways and allow God to be God in their life or whether they want to continue on the way they are, following the ways of their flesh and the ways of the world. They don't want anything to do with God. They want God to go and hide somewhere and leave them alone to think what they want to think and do what they want to do. They don't want anyone, not even God, to rule over them. They refer to God as "religion" or "philosophy" or "myth" or "dogma," but if they were honest about what they were doing, they would realize they are simply shunning God, pushing him away, and in the process, preventing God from saving them from their sinful ways. They like their sinful ways. In Matthew 10, he refers to the division as a "sword." Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household" (Matthew 10:34-36 NKJV). If everyone would turn to God and turn their back on their sin, everyone would get along, but that is not what is happening. There is a lot of confusion in the world about politics and religion. People like to think all religions are alike, but they are not. Only one man claimed he was God and fulfilled prophecy about a Messiah that would come and die on a cross and rise again for the sins of the world. That man was Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. This idea about the real reason for the division in the world may come as a shock to some people. They may be much more comfortable believing it's about politics, and that may play into it, but the root cause is rebellion against God. I had a very close friend who did not share my political views. We would argue intensely about these things, but we both believed in Jesus and we would never consider not speaking to one another again, or saying, "You're in a cult if you support (fill in the blank)." See how silly that is? All that does is make you feel like you are better than someone else who doesn't believe the same way you do. Our country is "one nation under God," or it used to be. You may want to argue with me about when or why or by whom the "under God" was added, but it doesn't matter. It is there, and that is the only way we can be united and strong again as a nation. The founders may not all have been evangelical Christians, but they understood that our rights came from God, and they understood the importance of faith in a higher power (if you prefer to think of it that way) for a people. John Adams said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." This is something every American should consider or else we will be very vulnerable and easy to be broken by division within or attacks from without. I hope and pray that every American will do some serious soul searching and find their peace in God and follow Jesus. Meanwhile, don't be discouraged if Satan has divided your family. If this is the case in your life, simply become an active member of God's family, and follow the Lord, do what he is asking you to do, and God will work all things together for good for those who love him. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).