WEDNESDAY'S WORD -DIVIDED - Sadell Bradley - 11/4/2020

 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

DIVIDED

Sadell Bradley

11/4/2020

"In an era in which war and terrorism - at home and abroad- are often based on racial, religious, and ethnic differences, rediscovering the wisdom of love and compassion may help us increase our survival at a time when an increasingly divided country and world so badly need it" - Dean Cornish

What we are seeing this election season says more about the country than it does about any candidate. In almost every category - in all of the branches of our highest government, and in State and Local races...we are deeply divided as a Nation. DIVIDED means split into two parts; separated; not united; in disagreement. We're divided politically. We're divided ethnically. We're divided soci-economically. We're divided by generation. We're divided ideologically. It's difficult to watch. As African-Americans, it may be even harder, as deep down inside we know there is no group that is really for us. No matter the election's outcome, there will be backlash for our communities.

A DIVIDED KINGDOM Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. (Luke11:17b) The NLT renders that statement, "Any kingdom divided by Civil War is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart." We're seeing that everywhere now. The 'United States' is torn in half. The American Flag has become for some, a symbol of hatred, and now instills fear in others. Families have split over politics: children have been disowned for aligning with 'the other side.' Longstanding friendships have been lost. It doesn't look like we'll soon recover from stances taken, the harsh words spoken, or the tactics employed to divide us. It's not just the media, it's us...in every conversation, every retort, and every post. It's the meaning behind our signs, our hats, even the wearing or not wearing of masks in the pandemic. These are definitely days of reckoning. The most tragic division is within the Church. In our early history there was no need for the separation of Church and State, because governments were just being formed. Christians had to grapple internally with theological differences, but it was outside persecutions that unified us. Persecution may arise again, even in this Country soon. Too many of us have forgotten that we are first and foremost citizens of a Heavenly Kingdom. The currency of that Kingdom and its identifying mark is the love that we have one for another. (John 13:34-35) We are choosing temporal, carnal things over God's love.

THE HOUSE OF GOD - DIVIDED

JESUS, our King, prayed for our unity because it is the redemptive revelation of God's love for humanity and proves that Christ was sent by God to save us. (John 17:20-23) The credibility of our witness is being lost in the mire of political partisanship and nationalism and economic caste-systems. The Church's internal segregation, money and power dynamics, and its stoking of racial tensions, have plagued us since the Gentiles were called unclean by Hebrew Christians. We've lost Jesus' command to love, pray for, and do good to our enemies. (Matt. 5:44) In these days, those who will stand on a full-counsel Biblical position will probably suffer from all sides,"But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family/house of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1Peter4:16-19) You can choose to be a Christian that bridges divides.