What happens to a divided house? On June 16, 1858, more than 1,000 Republican delegates met in the Springfield, Illinois, statehouse for the Republican State Convention. At 5 p.m. they chose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for the U.S. Senate, running against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. At 8 p.m. Lincoln delivered this address to his Republican colleagues in the Hall of Representatives. The title comes from a sentence in the speech's introduction, "A house divided against itself cannot stand," which paraphrases a statement by Jesus in the New Testament.
Mark 3: 24-26 says: "So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: 'How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.'"
Clearly it is important to stand as one. How interesting to think that even Satan himself must have the full weight of evil behind him to succeed.
Well, this may sound silly but I always enjoy seeing how the Bible relates to my every day life and it will become apparent this Saturday what a house divided means..
On Saturday, September 12th at 11am the University of Iowa football team will have traveled to Ames, Iowa to meet their biggest rival: the Iowa State football team. It shall be good declares the Lord!
Also this weekend is Grandparent's Day and for this very reason my grandparents are traveling to Bushnell to spend the weekend with me. They are bringing with them their love of the University of Iowa football team. In addition to this, Don is coming and he is bringing with him his dedication to me which means he will be rooting for the Iowa State football team. Drake and Arora are coming as well. Drake is the child of an Iowa State fan and Arora is the child of an Iowa fan. It will be a house divided.
And surely, if Satan a.k.a. the University of Iowa, wins, then the house will not stand. Therefore, as good Christians we must stand behind the Iowa State team so that we will not only bring harmony to our households but also to the world! A house divided against itself will not stand. We must ALL join together for the good of the cause. Go Cyclones!
All houses may have contentions of division, but I think in most cases we try to guide our petty differences so that we as families can go on together. Hobbies, foods we like, entertainment, sports (Go Cards!) can all be varied but tolerable. But I think when it comes to Christ vs Satan we must take our stand for Christ.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, if your game is on TV, I will try to watch. Rolva