Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. Luke 12:51
Why can’t we all get along? We know much hate, division and strife exist in this world. Always has been and always will be. It was preordained long ago, when Satan first appeared in the Garden of Eden.
It’s a battle of monumental importance. Name one country that’s immune to terrorism and killings. It doesn’t exist.
The truth of this division comes out in blazing Technicolor in the Middle East. Israel, a small country, is surrounded by much larger countries with much higher populations that want Israel and its citizens to be exterminated. They allege a land dispute, which is clearly bogus. With 97% of the territory, they want Israel’s 3%. They’ve been quite effective in rewriting history and convincing many others that they are the victims rather than being the perpetrators.
In 2013 my wife and I visited Israel. We dined at lunch one day in a restaurant on the Syrian border. We could hear the artillery firing and smoke rising from the battlefield located just across the northern border of Israel, which is protected by huge barbed wire fencing, land mines, electronic detection devices, and armed soldiers, to prevent the infiltration of immigrants and terrorists. The situation there today hasn’t changed one single bit. Does this example sound familiar?
Fortunately the United States has a little immunity from the severity of this magnitude due to its location, but it’d be incredibly naive to think such activities won’t hit our shores eventually. What we’ve experienced to date with 9/11, bombings, suicide missions, school shootings, immigration, etc., is probably a drop in the bucket compared to our future. I expect the severity and frequency to increase. We can only hope to slow it down.
The evil in this world is clearly the work of satan. Jesus came to show mankind the way, but He was rejected by the very people who witnessed His miracles and heard His messages. He caused division, because His example of goodness rebuked the people’s preference for evil. Nothing has really changed in the 2,000 years since then.
What simple demonstrations of goodness can we show to others today?
Prayer: Thank you, God, for Your goodness, grace, and mercy for us. Amen.