4:236 – Replace Division With Multiplication

#faithbites #faithjourney division

Setting

Mask Vs No Mask. Vaccine vs Vaccine. Truth Vs Lie. Fact Vs. Fiction. Science vs opinion. My Body, My Choice Vs My Body, My Choice. Freedom of religion vs freedom of religion. These are just a few of the topics that have crossed my news feed. These are all divisive topics and ways that we are destroying ourselves. As a nation, as a community of believers, we need to get beyond this.

God wants us to divide burdens and multiply successes. Right now we are looking for enemies within. It seems we have to have someone or something to fight against. Those battles are tearing apart who we are. God’s community is one of lovers, givers, builders, and sharers. His community is not one of fighting and destroying. If we don’t focus on Satan but blame others, we won’t succeed.

Today’s Questions: What have you said recently that can be seen stroking the flames of division. How has your behavior made a friend an enemy or made someone think you are trying to not be a member of the community. How can we move beyond fear-mongering and work as a community that uses the gifts each of us is given by God?

Scripture

• Romans 12:3-8 – ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
• Matthew 18:!5 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:9 – For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
• Titus 3:10 – As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him

Reflection

STOP THE FIGHTING! I know, you may think your words on a digital screen don’t have an impact but they do. We need to have grace for one another and see why they are saying what they are. Matthew tells us to talk in private if someone sins against us. Not to share the dirty laundry with the world. In Titus, we see that if someone wants to stir division and you’ve asked them twice, do nothing more with them. We need to stop stroking the division and move on.l We can’t be hypocritical. Often we don’t realize that the words were are saying mean the exact opposite to someone else or we are doing something that we accused someone else of doing.

You may be wondering why I started with Romans 12:3-8. The reason is God gave us specific gifts to use and we should use them. if you don’t have the gift, you should stay in your lane. Yes, you can discuss and question, but let the expert be the expert. They have skills learned from training and derived from the gifts God them. Trust God’s plan. God is never wrong.

I’m a bit heated today and I think many of us are. The reason is true Sin, the Devil is winning. He is pitting us against one another, and he can sit back and relax. If we stop the fighting, start listening, truly listening to God’s plan and what he’s done, we can succeed.

As we close, I challenge you to look at what you share, post or say. What is it really saying to others. Are you stoking division or trying to multiply God’s gifts?

Prayer

Father God, we know you are the truth. Many have perverted the truth for their own selfish aims. Then others share that and believe it to be true. We know you are the truth. You have appointed leaders to lead us. You have given us gifts to share with our brothers and sisters. Help us use those gifts in the way you want us to. Help us trust that your plan is in action. We pray all of this in your name, Amen.