A house divided (Luke 11:17-20) November 4, 2016

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Read it in a year – Haggai

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Today’s Devotional

Luke 11:17-20
Jesus: People, be logical. If a kingdom is divided against itself, it will collapse. If a ruling family is divided against itself, it will fall apart.
So if Satan’s kingdom is divided against itself, won’t his whole enterprise collapse? Does it make any sense to say I’m casting out demons by Beelzebul? Besides, if you’re saying it takes satanic power to cast out Satan, by whose power do your own exorcists work? If you condemn Me for an exorcism, you’ll have to condemn them. But if I by the power of God cast out demonic spirits, then face this fact: the kingdom of God is here, just as I’ve been saying.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We are less than a week from election day in this country. I’m sure everyone knows this is an important election for us, but many think it is more important than it really is. In fact, what this election shows is exactly what Jesus’ words tell us in these verses. Never has our nation been more divided than it is today. I’m not suer, even during the years of the Civil War when we raised arms against each other were we as bitter about the issues as we are today. None of the candidates or parties talk about how they will fix anything, they just talk about how bad the other candidate is. And it’s not just the presidential candidates. The vitriol ripples down through every election all the way to mayors and council members and school superintendents.

The division in our country has become pretty disgusting as a whole and as Jesus said, “A kingdom divided against itself will collapse.” We are on the brink of collapse – economically, politically, morally, spiritually, you name it, we’re on the brink. Just read the statistics and you’ll see it in front of you. Don’t listen to the rhetoric of the candidates, they want to be elected. Go to the statistics in the courthouses and Congressional records and look for yourself. We are on the brink of collapse. Why? Because we are more divided than we have ever been in our 240 year history.

So what do we do about it? How can we fix the divide that threatens us? Is there a solution that can pull us together instead of the party wedges that keep pulling us apart?

I can assure you the answer is yes and it’s a simple answer. Unfortunately, the answer will probably not happen in my lifetime or in yours as we look at the path we take as a nation and as a race called humans. You see, the answer is total commitment to God’s will instead of ours. Giving up what we want and acknowledging God as the Master of all things including us collectively and individually. But we won’t give up our selfish control because we think we know best. Just like the Democrats and Republicans each declare they know how best to run the country. Neither know how as both parties have each adequately demonstrated through their failures in their tours in the White House and in Congress.

It doesn’t matter if the Squid party runs the country as long as God is really in control. And if He is not, again, it doesn’t matter who is in control, nothing will be fixed. Everyone will look out for themselves instead of lifting God and letting Him fix what needs fixed, our sinful hearts. Are there Christian candidates? I’m sure there are a few. But watching the behavior and character of the candidates, there are a lot more who say they are Christian but are not than there are real Christians with Jesus as Lord of their life.

Maybe you want to say that’s judging people and we are not supposed to judge others. You can call it what you want, but Jesus also told us to be wise and watchful and avoid false prophets. He understood the tricks and schemes of those who would try to lead God’s children down the wrong path. When He talked about judging, His words said to remember we would be judged by the same yardstick. I can’t talk about the thief if I’m cheating on my taxes, for instance, because I’m stealing from the government when I do. I can’t talk about adultery if I’m lusting after other women. Because Jesus says that’s where adultery starts.

So can we judge the behavior of others? Yes and we should these days. Satan is trying his best to use that “don’t judge” phrase to trap us into all sorts of tolerance for evil. Stop! Judge others for their evil behavior. But also let God shine His light on your own and become Lord of your life by being obedient to Him. Only then do we have any chance of finding unity of any kind in this world.

Remember what Jesus called us to as His disciples? If your answer was unity, you got it right. That doesn’t mean we’ll all be Democrats or Republicans or Green Party or any party. It means we’ll be children of God and get along even in this crazy mixed up ridiculous election year.

All that said, don’t forget to pray for all of the candidates because someone will win each seat up for election and lead us for the next several years. Each of them need God as their God whether they know it or not. According to His word, many will use their own wisdom instead of His, unfortunately. He’s coming to take us home where we will be unified. But if we call ourselves Christians here, we better be getting along. It’s one of those qualities He expects in us.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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