“Jesus said to his disciples, “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! . . . . . . . . . . . . Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three . . . . . . . . . . . .”
Excerpts, Gospel Reading, Thursday 24th Oct. 2024 – LUKE 12:49-53.
So, in today’s teaching, Christ is quite contrasting with what we joyfully accepted and celebrated at Christmas when he was born.
Right from of old, it was said of him that, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – ISAIAH 9:6.
So, that, which very much resonates with us regarding today’s teaching is the part that says, he will be, “The Prince of Peace.”
How comes Immanuel – the Prince of Peace has suddenly begun brimming fire and brimstone and threatening division?
Of course, the Wonderful Counsellor would come and set fires in our hearts burning for him. As we have been enkindled with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
That is why over 2,000 years after his resurrection and ascension into heaven, there’s yet an estimation of over 2.4 billion adherent still following him. Is that not setting the world on fire enough?
He came down from heaven, suffered and died for the redemption of our sins and resurrected from the dead giving us new life and has since ascended into heaven to prepare our permanent home and from where he will come again to take his adherent to be with him.
Now, this☝️ truth is not acceptable to all. While some are willing to live and die by it, others still posit it to be some kind of fairy tale or fallacy.
Hence, he assures us that we have to live right and always do the right thing if we must spend our eternity with him.
However, those that doubt or are averse to this truth believe that we just have to eat and drink for tomorrow we die.
However the Apostle Paul puts a lie to that☝️assertion, when he says, “If (according to man) I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what doth it profit me, if the dead rise not again? Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die.” – 1 CORINTHIANS 15:32.
Some do actually believe in this truth and really want to keep living in the truth, but their obfuscating attachment to the world gets them divided.
Therefore, the strife as well as contention Christ talks about in today’s teaching is between those for this truth and the others who are averse to it.
Nevertheless, we must be assured of one thing, my dear friend, the truth will set us free.
Have a fantastic day folks.
#Blessed_Carlo_Acutis! #Pray_for_us!
-Akase F. Agabo
24th Oct. 2024.