devotional

Love and War

by Dietrich Kirk and Jill Sethness

Scripture reading: Luke 12:49-56

What a difficult passage to understand!  Are we to be at war and divided from our families?  How does Jesus bring division?  I don't know about you, but I don't want to be divided or at war.  I want Jesus to bring peace not division.

As a child, I grew up feeling completely secure in my mother's love for me.  I relied on her love and was only afraid of being separated from her love.  I did not question this until I reached the jungle of junior high.  I no longer felt safe and loved.  The girls in junior high were mean and I was breakable and sensitive. But when I came home, my mom was there for me; she reminded me of and pointed me to God's love.

My mother was raised much differently than I was.  She grew up in a home where she was dropped off at church, constantly chided for her mistakes, and given little encouragement in her troubles.  However, my mother speaks of an overwhelming faith that carried her through her childhood.  She believed in God's unfailing love for her before anyone explained it to her.

My mother's faith caused division in her family because she was the only one with an active faith.  When everyone in a family is focused on God, we live in harmony with God's desire for us.  But will that bring us peace or division?  It brings unity to the home; but those who serve Christ will always be divided from those who reject Christ and serve themselves.  So it can bring peace and division at the same time.

Division happens.  If we're facing division from someone who doesn't know Christ, we can do our best to show His love and we can commit the situation to Him.  Let's trust Him to use even our divisions to bring others to Him and into His peace.