Good Morning Friends,
For many of us these days, in the season of elections, it feels as if the United States has never been less united. The thing is that issues-oriented conflict in an ever more diverse population is not only inevitable but even desirable. But there is something more at play here that may not be so healthy. On the surface the nation, it seems, has become irrevocably fractured along political and ideological lines and if this is true then we all might learn a few things from those in ministry about leadership. But maybe the nation and the church, the called-out assembly, are not really divided as much as it just seems that way. The reality is that we all are being politically manipulated emotionally instead of reasoning things out. The thing is that the US has been divided for much of its existence and what we are experiencing now is less divided than say the Civil War or even the 1960’s. We may be a little short sighted. Still, there is good evidence that American political parties have become increasingly polarized over the past several decades, with Democratic and Republican politicians disagreeing over policy more than ever. Interestingly church denominations seem less divided perhaps for the simple reason that they must be unified to be effective. But for those who affiliate with a political party, polarization over “the issues” does seem to have increased over the past 20 or 30 years. It seems we like gridlock. But what we see is not so much a polarization based on the issues and what people reason related to ideology but how people feel and the nature of what we are experiencing in the media…news…fake news and propaganda and especially negative campaigning that bubbles up inside us. Conflict and perceived conflict can fuel the fire of political polarization in what amounts to a vicious cycle. Perhaps some have even become ideologues without caring as much about a stand on political issues as our partisan identity sparked by media. It is not really clear as to whether political party division reflects division within the general public and American culture at large. Suffice it to say that the evidence is… well, somewhat divided. Collectively, what I have read on this indicates that it is the social identifying role of ideological affiliation that is paramount in guiding our negative emotional responses to those on the other side of the political fence. This conclusion helps us to understand a few seemingly puzzling aspects of politics today, such as how politicians can flip flop on an issue and why hypocrisy runs rampant. For much of the voting public, political affiliation is not so much about the issues as it is about being part of the team and tribe. It is about identity and belonging and, as history would indicate, labeling enemies of the people. We are eagerly looking for confirmation and someone is out there ready to tell us what we are interested in hearing. Technology has facilitated people’s ability to seek out information sources they find agreeable and tune out others that prove dissonant. It is even imbedded in the way we are given information from the internet to prompt our next click. And maybe that is why we are in the fix we are in on the political scene and fewer people are looking forward to Thanksgiving round the table political conversations this year. So, I turn to scripture and ask, When We Are Divided Is There A Door Numbered Three?
Scripture: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NRSV)
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:49-53 (NRSV)
Message: If people see the same kind of alienation between Christians that they see in the political arena, people are less likely to listen to the message. Hopefully we as a nation can learn from those in ministry that any substitute for an identity in Christ is idolatry. Because the Holy Spirit causes us to change our identity, and to summon our family and friends to the Christian way of life, conflict often emerges in relationships. The Holy Spirit is always alive in this tension but may not always intercede in the ways we desire to avoid pain. Sometimes fire burns down and sometimes the Gospel is not sweet and easy. Reconciling brings more tension than most can tolerate. For not everyone around the world has a Kingdom of God mentality. That is why being generically nice and radically merciful can sap one’s energy and drain us spiritually and even bring a cognitive dissonance so strong as to make us ineffective. Sometimes we need to adjust our thinking. Thankfully God knows all about this challenge and has given us a grace that is greater than the challenge before us. The bad news is that God’s grace cannot help us until we are desperate enough to receive it. And so, we oscillate in our emotions for a reason. For in our exuberance if we think we do not need grace we are doomed. Here we need to remember that there is always tension between the way things are and the vision God has for us in this life. When we lose that vision, we lose our enthusiasm and boldness but sometimes for good reason. So, know that if God has set us apart to proclaim His message, He will invite us to allow Him to work out His will in us. Do not be embarrassed. Conform to Christ’s image, learning that the Holy Spirit within us is bold, sensible and loving…comforting but also convicting us to choose the better way. That is why the Holy Spirit abides in us, so we can carry on…so we can be enthusiastic when we need to be and humble when that position best serves God’s plan. We need to keep our head and not panic in the battle before us. We need to lead as Jesus led…by example. So, friends, if your spiritual battery needs charging remember Jesus. Remember that it is God who strengthens us. Remember that we have been established in love. Remember to reconnect to the people you love. Remember to be physically healthy. Remember to renew your mind and love to overcome the cognitive dissonance. Know that a neuron either fires or it does not fire. Know that there is a battle going on in our brains that divides things in much the same way that God’s word and the Holy Spirit judges and divides. But know that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Ultimately, people are either for God or against God, there is no middle ground. We see this challenge in Jesus’ life. And we see this in our lives and culture as well. Thankfully, if we are identifying with Christ, we can begin to understand how our choices and decisions come together to help us live a more abundant life. We begin to piece things…peace things… together for a purpose.
And So, our need to recharge our spiritual batteries and to live victoriously for Christ’s cause are related, for the Spirit empowers, but also divides and so here the depletion and restoration of energy is expressed in the ways we live and how we demonstrate our faith. The problem is that people want transformation and the power of God in their lives. But they want it so watered down as to have little contrast with the world. People do not trust God. Honestly most of us are just well-dressed and fed sinners. We need to understand our need for a Savior and most religion does not paint an honest picture. So, our faith needs some adrenaline in our veins for the sharing of the Gospel, for it is usually best when fired up instead of watered down. And yes, we desperately need to kindle the Spirit that flames the spread of the Good News with power and energy. But always we need humility. That is the way of living victoriously during times of divisiveness. It is not just at conversion but ongoing experience of God. And as with many aspects of our faith, there is a both/and connection we must have toward God that helps us live in the paradox of life. So, we look to God with awe and reverence, and we look to God with affection and joy. We look to God with fear and love. And so too, we are baptized with water and with fire. So, the message here is that we are to experience the fullness of the Gospel in both our conversion and sanctification. And the fusion of these two strands of thought DNA and spiritual DNA is what I am getting at. The whole idea of dividing and breaking and reconnecting into one is at play here to create something new. And so, I guess I would count it a virtue this infusion of the Holy Spirit into our hearts, so we can think more clearly each day. For this is not a once and done deal but a gift that we are to practice every day as we take what has been broken and reconnect it into a new victory for God’s glory. Senator John McCain in 2018 put it this way.
“We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.”
The challenge here is not issue oriented assertive debate but affective conflict, rooted in sinful attitudes like envy, pride, and selfish ambition, and manifesting itself in personal resentment, malice, bitterness. Sometimes conflict over an issue ignites division when people do not get their own way on an important decision. Sometimes it generates “issues” to mask itself. For when the conflict is affective, resolution of the issues becomes difficult. Division is serious business. It destroys effective outreach. It drains morale and motivation. It prevents effective leadership. It diminishes the love we are to show toward each other. We need to choose door Jesus is showing us. We need to have an identity in Christ.
Pray we are bold in following Jesus when called but humbly realize that God is working in and through us for a purpose that requires contemplation and discernment as well. Pray that sinful personal alienation does not divide us. Pray we reassure our heart that God is with us. Pray we respond to the needs of others. Pray that when we are tested, we fight with faith. Pray we find joy in our times of trouble. Pray we are not ashamed or fearful. Pray we find some sunshine in the shadows. Pray we speak with words of encouragement. Pray we share the good news. Pray we fight the good fight with love and truth. Pray we are never ashamed of lifting the name of Jesus. Pray we wait for the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to come and meet our deepest needs. Pray we live victoriously. Pray we are daily soaking up the truth of scripture. Pray we read scripture clearly and fully. Pray we are real and honest about the experience. Pray we seek God’s answers to our questions and put them into a daily routine in your life. Pray we realize that God’s Word divides believers and unbelievers. Pray we do not delude ourselves into thinking we are in control of our own lives and our own destinies. Pray still that we would make good decisions. Pray that all the factors that influence us converge in a way so that Christ would be glorified in our lives. Pray we are sanctified. Pray we replicate holiness by identifying with Christ at his death, burial and resurrection. Pray we have peace in our hearts while we are still disturbed by the ways of the world. Pray we multiply God’s love for us by taking what is broken and divided and joining it together in a new way. Pray we are living on the foundation of our faith in a way that helps us to live a victorious life in the Spirit of Christ.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 