¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. ¹² I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.

Galatians 5:11-12

Dear God, verse 12 actually made me chuckle this morning. Paul’s exasperation was funny. I wonder if he could have a do-over, if he would like to take that part of the letter out so that it wasn’t here for me to see 2,000 years later. But that’s part of the beauty of the Bible and how you chose to communicate with us. It was written by real people with real emotions.

It is interesting to see what they were 1.) persecuting Paul for and 2.) then trash-talking him in the opposite direction. So the Jewish people were mad that he was both saying that Jesus was the path to salvation through the cross and resurrection, and that he had absolved the Gentiles from needing to be circumcised to come into the completed Jewish faith. Then there was another group of people who were accusing him of the opposite. Apparently they were saying that Paul was preaching salvation through means other than the death and resurrection of Jesus and requiring men to be circumcised. Satan figured out a way to get both sides to call Paul a heretic, or to at least teach false doctrine using Paul’s name.

Division is an amazing thing. I’ve said for a long time that it is Satan’s Plan A and it’s such a good plan that he rarely needs a Plan B. I was talking with someone the other day and saying that our country is so divided that we cannot even agree on a common enemy when there is a threat. I thought at least we could gather around fighting COVID and the pandemic, but that only divided us more. I guess there is just something in our sin nature that loves to feel wronged and avenge ourselves in some way.

Father, help me to simply let go of my rights, do my best in any given moment, and then embrace what follows. I’ll admit I get riled up by certain people. I was reading a political flyer last night that upset me. The messaging was so–well, awful. Sowing fear. Sowing hate. Just so someone could get into an office they want against another person who probably agrees with them on 95% of the issues. It’s a primary. They are from the same party. But they choose to differentiate themselves from each other by trying to make me afraid. Father, walk with me today. Make me an instrument of your peace. Even for those who are against me or the things I might be trying to do through my service to you in our community. Give me wisdom. Give me discernment. Give me love. Help me to not be part of divisiveness.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen