“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:49-53 NABRE
Never before in my history of 56 years have I seen a time when this passage is becoming so true. No, I am not saying that God is bringing about all the chaos that we see in politics and the culture. That can only be attributed to Satan and his attempt to get us to destroy each other.
This passage has such a profound impact because Jesus is bringing the truth to a world that doesn’t want it. For those of us who profess to be disciples of Jesus, we are bound by our love to hold on to His truth before all else. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve taught us from the Garden?
The culture, deceived by Satan, is now in full rebellion against God and His truth. Despite His teachings, supported by His miracles and resurrection, they have no desire to have a God, nor a need for a Savior. Their eyes are focused on “feelings” and despite their flakiness, how they feel about something has become the new standard for truth.
Each one of us, like Adam in the Garden of Eden after Eve had taken the first bite, has a decision to make. Do we hold on to the creator or do we go after the creation? Jesus has come to reveal the truth of who we are and every parent must now decide what to do with this truth. Do we hold on to Jesus and His truth and watch our kids walk away from us like they walked away from God? Or do we let go of God and His truth and stick with our children and their new ideas that are devoid of God?
We no longer have the luxury of doing nothing.
Satan has set the stage where, no matter
what we choose, we will suffer loss.
The world has become a hard place, and Jesus is the ROCK! To deny His truth is to deny God. We try as best as we can to rationalize why it is ok to reject the truth, but doing so is like cutting the anchor line that keeps us from drifting.
When we no longer have the anchor of truth to hold us in place, we follow wherever the prevailing currents take us. If Satan has his way, those currents lead to our destruction. It is for this reason that Jesus came to save us.
It wasn’t easy for Him, and it won’t be easy for us!
We no longer have the luxury of doing nothing is the truth! The battle lines are drawn and while in the past they were kind of “foggy”, they’re pretty clear now. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
Amen! Mark Amen!
Dcn. Ralph,
Your words are spot on with how we can read scripture and than relate that to how today’s family’s are struggling. And as you say cutting those anchor lines won’t be easy for us. Our faith in God must see us thur these family tests and make us stronger in each other’s love. Family is our gift from God and as we read and share his life which was not easy at all, so – we can be there for each other and share his love with all.
So true, Roy. Other within our family and without will see whether we hold on to God or not.
We all will provide a model that reflects the conviction of our faith.