Skip to main content

The Baptism that Divides

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Luke 12:49-51

Jesus was feeling the weight of His passion, the baptism of His death. What that baptism was going to release is anything but peace. There is and will be great division between people because of Christ. Rejection by family and friends, within families, deep divisions of world views. The fire of the purging of sin in our lives and the establishment of the righteousness He desires to release is evident. And it will continue until the end of time.

We often think of the meekness and gentleness of Jesus. But never forget that He is also holy, righteous and just. And one day everyone, by faith or by force, will acknowledge Him as Lord.

Prayer Focus: Jesus, thank You for carrying the weight of justice for each of us. Thank You for giving us grace to stand in the times when our baptism with You causes division in our lives.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Answers

“An angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out...” Acts 8:26 Philip is an example of how God calls us to step out in obedience even if it doesn’t make sense at the time. The angel of the Lord gave clear directions for Philip to go from Jerusalem to Gaza. He was asked to travel in the heat of the day through the desert, not the normal paved route to Gaza. Philip did not question God or try to figure out why God was asking him to go. He didn’t pause to wonder how he was going to deal with the physically draining aspects of the journey or who was going to fund his trip. He simply started on his way. As he went along, the Holy Spirit directed him to an Ethiopian eunuch. Philip struck up casual conversations which led to sharing the good news about Jesus. Many people have told me they desire to go on a mission trip but are not sure if they should go. They want to have all the answers ahead of time....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Way We Pray

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 What brings answered prayer in a Christian’s life? Do you ever feel that you pray and God is silent or that you grow weary in your prayer life because it seems that God isn’t answering your heart’s desires? Could it be that many times it is because of the way we are praying? This passage of Scripture goes on to say, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Taking God’s yoke on ourselves is a picture of an animal having a harness around its neck and can’t move to the right or left but only where the farmer is leading. It may seem restrictive to see God in that same way, but He wants us to follow Him looking straight ahead and keeping our eyes focused on Him and His purposes. It keeps us from getting sidetracked in our Christian walk. Then, our praying becomes asking Him for things He is desiring for us and those aro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Turning Away

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.” Matthew 24:10 In June, we talked about persecution and the reality that we all may face at some point. Jesus describes in Matthew 24 how difficult it is going to be. Amid that discussion, He says at one point, when the going gets very tough, many will turn away from the faith. Not “their” faith, but the faith. He is talking about a shared belief system. In a singular definite article, He affirms that there is only one saving faith, and that is faith in Him. And there will be those who are initially drawn to that faith when things are good or beneficial to them, but will turn away and betray and hate each other when standing up for that faith brings hardship, suffering and perhaps even death. He goes on to say, “but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” And this Gospel, the Gospel of “the” faith must be preached to all nations. We can’t deviate from “the” faith. We can’t lessen the i...
Post a Comment
Read more