A House Divided

Who hasn’t experienced division within friends, family, communities? Well, it’s no secret that division has been a part of life from the beginning. On the first day God divided the darkness from the light. Genesis describes Adams and Eve’s division from His purity when they chose sin. A house divided became reality when Cain murdered his brother Abel because of his jealousy which was clearly the result of sin. We all know that most division is the result of sinful behavior. Whether it be pride, jealousy, greed, etc. it’s all sin.

We all know what division looks like in our personal lives, from friendships, to families, to communities, to marriages, to churches, and even from God. We have all suffered the pain and heartache of it. I for one have experienced division in every one of those circumstances. I also was one who believed that anytime there was division amongst us that it was the enemy trying to destroy relationships, and sometimes that’s true, but what if the division you are facing now or have faced in the past was a direct act of God?

What? You mean the God who loves us so greatly would cause such heartache? Yes, He is the God who loves us, the God who heals, the God who sends His Holy Spirit as our comforter and Yes, the God who brings forth division. As the years have gone by and I have seen and experienced so much division in this life that I began to research it biblically. I wanted a better understanding for myself and throughout the bible there are many stories of division. So, I began to dig deeper into the scriptures that spoke on division created by God.

There were a few to choose from, like Exodus 8:23, Mark 3:24-26, Matthew 25:31-46, but the one I concentrated on was in Luke. It says in Luke 12:51-53 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father 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 mother-in-law. So, not only is He the God who loves, but He also divides. Why would God create such division? I think for many reasons, but in my opinion, I would conclude that it is because He loves us.

He is sovereign and He has called us unto Himself, and I think that we in the flesh put our faith, our hope and our trust into man and into this world more than we look to Him. We make idols out of people and things. We look to the medical communities and science for the healing of our bodies and minds instead of waiting on Him. I believe that division that is created by God also exposes the hearts and intentions of ourselves and others. It exposes the sin and the darkness that looms all around us. When Jesus speaks of unity within His people, He’s not talking about being nice to others to prevent them from getting their feelings hurt or to avoid a fight. When He calls us into unity, then He’s calling us unto Himself. To be one with Christ. So, the more you seek after the Father. The more you seek after His righteousness, after His truth and commit your life to being an obedient, faithful servant, and no longer looking to satisfy the desires of the flesh, the more division may come your way, because there are some around you who are not seeking those things. There are some who thought they were until they discovered just how much of themselves that they had to sacrifice, how a life with Christ means a daily dying of our flesh.

We have all sinned and fallen short of His glory but being a sinner by nature is not the same as choosing sin as a lifestyle. It’s vital to surround ourselves with people who are bold enough to speak God’s truth over our lives, but also willing to love, to teach and to build each other up in the word. As you grow (and we’re always growing) put your faith, hope and trust in Him alone. One day everything else will be stripped away. So, if you are striving to commit every area of your life to Christ and you’re attempting to lay down every sin, every bad habit, every addiction, all of your rage, your jealousy and even greed at the foot of the cross, then be prepared to experience division.

Recognize the hand of God moving in your life. Ask the Lord to help you discern when the things happening around you are done by Him. He requires us to know the times we are living in. If you continue to read in Luke 12: 54-56 it say's: He also said to the crowds, “When you see ha cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? So just know that He is Sovereign, He is Love and He is the Divider.

A house Divided reveals a God who Restores and Redeems. For His Mercies are never ending. Do not put your hope in the world but place your hope in the one who gave the greatest sacrifice of all! Jesus!! By His Grace He has called you unto Himself and He will finish what He started in you. 1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.