Divisiveness...The Wayfarer 6/15/17

Divisiveness
 6/15/17

Mark 3:23-27

King James Version (KJV)

²³ And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

²⁴ And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

²⁵ And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

²⁶ And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

²⁷ No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

Division has been the downfall of man since Adam chose division rather than unity with his Creator.

Divisions between the goals and methods of attaining those goals have led constantly to strife, and indeed death since that original division, and the division that followed between Adam’s progeny beginning with Cain and Abel.

Division is fomented and encouraged by the enemy of unification, and holds no allegiance to any, other than self, despite the false unity temporarily shown until that unity is no longer of service to the provision of individual want, despite universal need.

Within mankind’s dealings with others of his kind, it has never been unifying factors that created the horrors of war, that have resulted in the downfall of nations and whole civilizations, but, rather, has always been the divisiveness within those nations, civilizations, and indeed even within individual family units that disintegrate because of that division.

Today that division stands more prominently than ever, as peoples purporting to be adamantly in favor of the same goals refuse to pursue those goals in a manner that demands compromise rather than division.

Each side proclaims its vision of a way forward to a better future…. through division and annihilation of the ideas and ideals supported by the other side.

This gives lie to the very concepts being touted by each, as self comes to fore, as want supplants need, as unification between men is discarded in the same manner that unification between God and man continue to be rejected.

Commonality is forgotten, disregarded, and pushed to the side, as divisiveness continues to result in the only possible outcome created by it…destruction.

Because the machinations of men, and their ideas and ideals are, and shall always be imperfect, any advances made by them that align with the original intent for them by their Creator cannot survive the division that inevitably occurs once the necessity of that alignment is discarded for any concept of progress that does not recognize the progression toward the fruition of that Creator’s original plan.

This concept of division, and its destruction holds true in ALL of mankind’s dealings, both with himself and with that Creator.

Because of that very division, the necessity of a Savior asserted itself within the Master Plan of that Creator, and we were given Jesus to remind us that there is far more to hold with concern than what appears to be the immediacy of now, that here is a necessity for consideration of what remains to come, what cannot and will not pass, when a final division is to be accomplished that takes need into account rather than want, and in particular the need for unity with that Creator.

Mark 1:14-15

¹⁴Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Jesus preached the Kingdom of God, and the means to its attainment, not temporary and passing kingdoms of men.

As he preached that Kingdom, yet to come, he preached and taught unification rather than division, unification with His Father… a unification that also demands unification rather than division with those who would be unified with that Father.

Paul spoke, quite eloquently, of divisions within the factions that purported unification with Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:9-18

⁹God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our LORD. ¹⁰Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. ¹²Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. ¹³Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; ¹⁵Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. ¹⁶And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. ¹⁷For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. ¹⁸For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

That unity which comes only through the cross having been preached and accepted may appear foolish to divisionary segments whose only unity is with those with whom they agree in reference to goals established for this world, but remains the power seen by those who recognize a goal that exceeds both time and space as recognized by a mortal creature destined to survive beyond both time and space occupied for a fleeting moment prior to the occupation of the permanent realm preached by Christ Jesus.

The necessity for unity was recognized by Solomon, as he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes that spoke eloquently of the things in life that united and divided us from the Creator, and each other as well.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

King James Version (KJV)

⁹ Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

¹⁰ For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

¹¹ Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?

¹² And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Though Solomon did not write about, nor yet understand the totality of a particular unity, there remains a threefold cord that CANNOT be broken, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, which transcends any division created by men, and is capable of uniting men when those men choose that unity rather than the division so prevalent within his nature.

As division comes to the fore, the only defense against its destruction remains unity…unity with Christ Jesus…unity between those recognizing the superiority and authority of One greater than those who would divide.

2 Timothy 1:12

King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen

The Wayfarer