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Go ahead and look first at Matthew 12 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Matthew 12:25

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

Title: A House of Cards is No Place to Call Home

Observation: Jesus continue to teach the people around Him about the uniqueness of who He is and His call in the world. He affirms that He is Lord of the Sabbath. He tells that that they will be given the Sign of Jonah (ponder that one!) and that His family consists of those who are the Family of God. Jesus teaches about His role as Messiah (Moshiach to the reggae orthodox Jewish singer/rapper Matisyahu that I’m listening to right now).

But Jesus also gives us an insight into life that we might pass over too quickly, particularly if we are fans of Abraham Lincoln- a house divided against itself cannot stand. The truth is that many of the marriages I see (and sometimes my own) have a high level of antagonism between the spouses. Often its presented as though it’s a joke, but the reality underneath I suspect is very real. If we are to do the human things that we are called to do- to keep house, work jobs, and raise children- we must not work at crosspurposes with our spouse. And how much more, if we are to live a Christ centered life, witness God’s goodness to our impressionable (and sometimes fearful) children, and be a light house to the world! I think we all agree on the need for harmony in our own homes, but we do not know how to get there.

The Bible teaches that we don’t need to create unity- the Holy Spirit imparts it to every Christian and every Christian group or family (see Ephesians 4:3 and following). The rub is this- we have to submit ourselves to each other and to God’s will. The old sin, the one of Lucifer, of wanting to be God, is the bottom line issue that keeps us from living in the harmony that Jesus wants for us. Easier said than done, I know. But not impossible, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Mutual submission is also the key for a church to live in unity in order to carry out its mission. But we too often take the political model –we are balanced against each other like a house of cards- to be the way we should be church. Baptists have too often taken Soul Liberty to mean that there is no necessity of interdependence. We must be dependent one on another and we must submit to one another. The wisdom is knowing how to submit in love to unjust slings and arrows without compromising God’s vision and direction given to the church. Without holding on to that anchor we are merely abdicating power to the least mature member of the Body! Yet, too often we in Christian leadership, myself included, are like the disciples when Jesus reprimanded them saying that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over those below them but that they (and we) must become a servant of one of the least of these. This humility modeled is the road Jesus took while never flinching from the direction that took Him to the cross.

Application: I need to start with me. I need to serve others. And yet, not allow myself to be taken hostage by those who have agendas different that what Christ is calling me to personally or professionally.

Prayer: Lord God, help me not merely to endlessly speculate on unity, but to live in peace with other believers by finding ways to serve them under your Lordship. Help me to be sincere in my desire to serve, honest in my frailty, and deeply committed to their good. Help me not to compete or position myself with my wife, but rather to love her as Christ loved the church. Lord, I am cantankerous. Help me to be willing to set aside my desire to be god and trust in your goodness.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.