Tag: Divided we fall

House Divided

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House Divided

Matthew 12:25-30“25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” Jesus is showing the Pharisees how ridiculous they are in questioning the miracle they had just witnessed. His response which was much longer then just the few verses above was aimed to show them, rather to call them out for the deliberate lie they had tried to spread. The Pharisees knew the power Jesus used came from God.

It’s important to know that as a home how important it is to have a united front. It’s important to stay united because divided a house falls. During the Illinois Republican State Convention, Springfield, Illinois June 16, 1858 Abraham Lincoln spoke on the rising tensions between the North and the South. It was believed separation was possible and eventually the divided nation did happen. The nation nearly fell apart because it couldn’t agree on policies. Homes, countries, states can be torn apart when anything moves in and begins to tear down the walls of communication. I’ve seen loving homes broken because of differences of opinions or beliefs. I’ve watched families torn and divided because ultimately the united front putting God first wasn’t there anymore. It’s important that in a household that the focus is the same, and as commanded in scripture, the priority is always God first.

Our country was founded as a Christian nation. The founders believed in God first and all these years later it’s my opinion we’ve lost sight of that, and we’ve begun to fight and war with each other and it’s caused a divide within this nation. Even with the idea that everyone has the right to celebrate his or her own faith without persecution. We’ve become a nation of judgments, of sensitivity, and hatred. We do not respect one another, and we’ve gotten to the point now where we don’t show love for one another.

It’s important that we understand that it’s Jesus that changes hearts. It’s the blood of Christ that gives us hope in this dark world. It’s faith that keeps us strong, and when we remember that this life is but a fleeting moment in the big picture, and eternity is what awaits us, we can focus and manage each problem with a clear head, and an open heart. While we may be divided right now we haven’t fallen apart yet. Jesus Christ is the truth, and the way, and if we can turn our focus to God we may realize that it’s Christ that can change our path. We are but a leaky vessel and if we are to remain afloat, it’s Christ that protects us from the waters. Remember to put your faith in Christ and keep your house together. Divided we fall, we cannot combine our forces to fight the spiritual warfare that comes if we are facing each other. The Devil wants to pit us against one another, to turn on one another. Just like the Joker in The Dark Knight. “Don’t talk like you’re one of them! You’re not, even if you’d like to be. To them you’re just a freak, like me. They need you right now, but when they don’t, they’ll cast you out—like a leper. See, their morals, their “code”…it’s a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you, when the chips are down, these—ah—”civilised people”? They’ll eat each other. See, I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.” The Joker was trying to divide Batman from the people he swore to protect. The Devil seeps in to homes and spreads lies, creates insecurities, mistrust, whispers of a better life with someone else, and slowly the thoughts change, and the cracks in the foundation begin. Before long left untreated the crack divides the house and what’s left is destruction. In Christ the fracture can mend, the bonds broken can heal, but it takes two parts to mend back together. You have to be willing to extend an olive branch and talk to each other. Come back together putting Christ first, and heals the bonds that were broken.

 

 

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Stand Up For Something

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Stand Up For Something

What does our flag mean to you? Men and women have fought and died for it for over two hundred years. It’s flown over countless countries and even on the moon. It represents the best of what his country is and how we’ve persevered through all manner of hardships. This country has endured war and poverty, racial divide and unprovoked attack that left thousands grieving. The struggles we’ve faced and overcome we’ve done it together. We trust in our nation to pull through the toughest of times, and we know that when the going gets tough we band together to achieve any goal because we stronger together.

Now in this country as the flag flies people from all over protest the national anthem because of personal reasons. The sad part is, although we aren’t perfect, and we have a long way to go, are we really do bold as to say so disrespectfully that we sit or kneel to try and prove a point? What do the leaders show the rest of the country when they choose to divide instead of illicit togetherness? The powerful are who the average look to and when so much hate and discourse is thrown around the rest of us are forced to watch and see this every single day. When the flag goes by I’ve seen old Veterans barely able to walk and in wheel chairs muster the strength to stand not because they have to, but as a sign of respect for those who’ve fought and have been buried under the Stars and Stripes. Racial divide, police brutality, political disagreement has nothing to do with the representation of our flag and nation. Our constitution, our bill of rights, and all the people who’ve served, died, and fought to protect those liberties, and the attempt to give those basic human rights to others is what the anthem stands for. If you cannot in good conscious stand for what this country stands for then why are you still here? There are plenty of other countries out there and if you won’t stand and recite the pledge, hold honors to the colors, then really its not your micro protests, it’s this nation you’re disrespecting. If you hate it so much look at what this nation has given to you. Success, wealth, fame, and so much more, yet instead of using that wealth and fame to raise awareness, blatant disrespect and a lack of loyalty are the rallying cry. How irresponsible to teach the young people of today that honoring and respecting the great nation you live in is such a major disrespect. Once upon a time to call yourself an American was said with pride. Now people do nothing but gripe and complain. I hate to break it to most people but I’ve lived a great many places in this world and even with our faults our rights and privileges are still second to none.

I’ve buried friends under the flag, and I’ve seen the way other nations talk about us, and I’ve seen the hell of war fighting for a people that largely hated us from the start. The fact is using Iraq as an example, I watch the first election take place in Ar- Ramadi as women could vote for the first times in their life. We have grown as a country, and we stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. When God gives us power He expects for us to use that power to glorify Him. Now however we can’t even publicly say His name in a growing number of institutions. We were founded on the beliefs that God was sovereign and Gods grace allowed for us to have what many did not. Now God is used as a simple platitude of old and for many no longer holds any societal importance. Walk in the shadows long enough and God will either watch as we destroy ourselves, watch as someone else does it, or like Sodom and Gamora before us we shall watch as the flag burns and the nation crumbles around us. You can still show respect for this country even when you disagree with a few things. Disrespecting the entire notion of this country on national television, or in public view is a horribly way to get your point across, because honestly, if you loose the respect of your followers, or people you’re supposed to be a roll model too, what good are we if we can’t find a constructive way to express ourselves.

We must learn to hold ourselves as a higher standard. Its not just here in this country we must worry about what others think, we are now being viewed world wide, and we must remain a united front. Our enemies are constantly planning, working to destroy us, and here we are trying to destroy our own selves. To the outside world, we look like a country of ignorant fools, obsessed with the sound of our own voice, and our problems seem so petty to them, and yet, we argue and one day, that divided nature will be a problem, one I hope we can fix before it’s too late. So in closing if you’re going to stand for something, stand for something, and make it count. If you are going to protest something do it in a respectful way. If you’re going to disagree with someone enough of the screaming, enough of the rioting, the looting, talk it over, sit down and have a dialog about it. Enough of the want and destruction that has plagued our nation for too long now. As I’ve stated in the past, put a little love in your heart!