These words above were spoken by the “Prince of Peace” to His disciples in Matthew 10:34-39. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
To be a follower of Christ, or to be one who rejects the teachings and life of Jesus, has caused serious divisions among people in this world. And as the verses from Matthew 10 so clearly indicate, divisions between those within your own family and the family of God. The evidence of this kind of separation or internal strife, within families and the Christian Church, have become quite visible with regard to the implementation of Critical Race Theory and Critical Social Justice, in our American society.
Many people choose to believe that the tension and friction we are experiencing in the United States are socially oriented and they can only be solved or reconciled by social programs. In reality, the divisions we are confronting in today’s culture are of a spiritual nature, and more directly stated “the work of the devil”.
God created a perfect situation, a perfect relationship between Himself and His creation, and between all things which He created. God and man were in perfect harmony, man and woman were in harmony, and man and that which he was given care over were in harmony. What was it that screwed it all up? Nothing other than the deceitful tactics of Satan himself. The work of the master of lies and confusion on mankind. Things took a sharp turn downward, at that very moment, and it has been an ongoing battle of good and evil, God’s desires for man and the devils desire to destroy creation.
Jesus preached, taught, and lived the two greatest commandments while He was carrying out His ministry in this world. And what were these two commands, “Love the Lord your God, with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the very foundation and core teachings of how we are to live in relationship to our Lord and one another. NO social programs are going to be able to fend off the attacks of the devil on those God has created in His image.
We need to get back to biblical teachings and truth, if we, as a broken people, are ever going to have hope for reconciliation and for a breakdown of the divisions that have been established. Unity in Christ, and living by His example, is the way to overcoming the hatred, hostility, and disrespect for our fellow man that is so prevalent in America and worldwide. Let us never forget God created every one of us, and Jesus died for every one of us, and that makes each of us very special. Maybe remembering that is the first step needed for the healing of our nation and the world! Pastor McCarty