Rivalry games
are awesome. I love old phrase, “You can throw out the records when so and so
faces so and so.” I have been able to be apart of some great rivalries in
sports. I am a Michigan State fan and get to see this play out against
Michigan. During the late 90’s early 2000’s Red Wings/Avalanche, today I see Terre
Haute South vs. North. I will change that; I love a healthy rivalry in sports. Rivalries
in life I do not cherish.
When people are
discriminated based on race, religion and just about anything else I grow
weary. It’s even worse when those who claim to be the most tolerant are often
the opposite. Society has switch and turned more into a worldview of I will be
tolerant of you only if you are tolerant of me. Throughout history we have seen
differences cause division and wars where thousands of people have died.
I reflect on this
as I read Ephesians 2:11-22. This is verse 14-18…
“For he himself is our peace who has made the
two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by
setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations His
purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making
peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God
through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He
came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were
near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by
one Spirit.”
The church was
once divided, there was a huge rivalry going on. There were people who came to
Jesus who were Jewish, and those who came to Jesus who didn’t have any faith
background (Gentiles). There was not much love between the groups. Paul shares
here that when we accept Jesus we aren’t alone. We are brought together in
unity with other believers. There is no division and should not be a division
between the groups. Once we accepted Christ we are a unified front. All seeking
the best for each other, people had a hard time understanding this. Christ was
meant to bring people together not to tear them apart.
Sadly, tearing
people apart is often what we are good at, but this can and needs to change.
How did we end up with so many denominations? It’s crazy to look at all the
different denominations of faith in Jesus. It’s kind of sad, but just like Christ
brought two distinctly groups of people together then, he can do it now. Jesus
is love and we need to share that love with other believers.
Rivalries are
fun in sport but not in real life. Who do you need to be unified with? What’s a
division in your life that needs to improve? Who do you need to reconcile with?
Bitterness and resentment is not how God wants us to live our lives.
Have a great
day.
