Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
What is this fire that Jesus wants to set? It is the fire of his love.
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
How can we say that his message is about love if he comes to bring division? Well, in one way, love divides. It is an invitation which begs either a yes or a no. There is no room for grey. There is no room for lukewarmness. All else in our lives has to take second place. Even the very best of legitimate goods cannot be allowed to take precedence over following Jesus. These are the conditions under which Jesus is willing to tolerate division. He prefers that all be saved and come to knowledge of the truth. He would rather make one body from many parts. But we can choose to not be part of that. We must accept the invitation. The division that is inevitable isn't what Jesus ultimately desires. But he is not shy about seeing it happen. He does not let it make him hesitate to make the offer of love.
We have the choice to remain slaves to impurity and lawlessness or slaves to righteousness for sanctification toward eternal life. We can't just give up a little bit of some of our sin. We need to quit serving that master. We can't just take on a few good ideas from Jesus. We must serve him alone.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
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