A House Divided

 Mark 3:22-30

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

Abraham Lincoln used the description of a house divided as he watched the split between the North and South widening even before the Civil War broke out and the United States literally became "a house divided." This image should really speak to us Americans as we see so much division developing in our country.  Our church struggles with disagreement, grumbling, and tension.  We find it in our families and workplaces.  It's all around us. May we stop, take stock and try to get to the root of this ever present trend and do what we can to reverse it. The Holy Spirit will show us the way; let us ask for his help and follow it.

Bro. Rene